CRISPR - A brand new technology that could change the world.

Crispr (Clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a revolutionary new biotechnology that allows particular segments of DNA to be modified or removed entirely, in an apparently cheap, fast, and easy way; especially in comparison to gene editing technologies that have existed before it.




How does it work?

Crispr technology is based on the evolutionary defence strategies of a bacterium known as Streptococcus Pyogenes. This bacterium, as a way to defending itself against viruses that attempt to use it as a host for its own DNA to reproduce, is able to attach itself to the viruses own DNA (using RNA as a guide to specific areas of its genetic code), and cleave or cut the DNA with the use of cas9 endonuclease (an enzyme molecule that breaks apart DNA strands).

Because of this bacterium, researchers are able to incorporate Cas9 endonuclease, and RNA into a living cell; the cell now able to be guided to a specific area of a gene, and cut, remove, and/or modify a particular segment. It could also replace a cut piece of DNA with an entirely new DNA replacement.

Why is this important?

The ability to modify or remove/add genes to DNA strands can have major connotations in the field of gene therapy. You could for example remove a gene in a persons DNA that would have later on developed into a form of cancer, or neurodegenerative disease. Or add a gene to the DNA where one is missing due to a birth defect. 

Of course this technology is very new, and due to ethical concerns may not be used in the field of human treatments for years to come. But looking at the incredible results it is achieving so far (link below on HIV treatment with crispr) it could develop into a very important technology indeed.

-Thomas Glen
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Images: Not my own