CRISPR-Cas9: The Future of Genome Editing
CRISPR-Cas9 is a groundbreaking tool for altering genes that can be used to treat genetic disorders, produce new medicines and new crops. It is a strong and flexible tool that could change many areas, such as medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology.
It includes:
- A strong tool for editing genes that can change DNA.
- Contains a guide RNA and a Cas9 protein.
- The Cas9 protein cuts DNA in a certain spot that matches the guide RNA.
- This can be used to add, take away, or change DNA.
Brief History of How CRISPR cas9 was discovered?
2020 Nobel Prize for Chemistry awarded for the development of a method for genome editing
1987: At Osaka University, Yoshizumi Ishino and his team find CRISPRs in the DNA of Escherichia coli bacteria.
2005: Alexander Bolotin and the rest of his team at the National Center for Biotechnology Information discovered CRISPRs as a part of a bacterial immune system.
2012: Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier show that the genomes of cells can be modified with CRISPR-Cas9
2013: CRISPR-Cas9 is made by Feng Zhang and his team at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
2015: The first clinical study to treat a genetic disease with CRISPR-Cas9 starts.
2016: CRISPR-Cas9 has been used to alter the genes of the first genetically changed crops that can now be sold commercially.
2017: CRISPR-Cas9 is used to make the first animals whose genes have been changed.
CRISPR-Cas9 is an emerging technology, and it is still too early to know what its full potential is. But it is clear that CRISPR-Cas9 has the potential to transform many areas, such as medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology.
CRISPR-Cas9 as a Bacterial Immune System
CRISPR-Cas9 is also used as a defense system by bacteria. CRISPR-Cas9 is a way for bacteria to fight off viruses. When a virus infects a bacteria, the bacterium will cut out a piece of the virus's DNA and put it into its own genome. This is called Spacer DNA. The bacteria then makes a protein called Cas9 from this piece of DNA. An enzyme called Cas9 can cut DNA. When the same virus comes back, the bacteria will use Cas9 to cut the DNA of the virus. This will stop the virus from infecting the bacterium.
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What is Gene Knockouts & How CRISPR is Used in it?
Credit: Genome Research Limited
With CRISPR-Cas9, genes can be turned off. Through gene knockout, a gene can be taken out of the genome. This can be used to find out how a gene works or to treat a disease that is caused by a gene. CRISPR-Cas9 has been used to get rid of the CCR5 gene in human cells, for example. The CCR5 gene is a receptor for the HIV virus. Scientists have been able to make human cells that can't be infected with HIV by taking out the CCR5 gene by making them HIV resistant cells.
You can also put genes into the genome with CRISPR-Cas9. This can be used to make things that have been transformed genetically and now have new traits. CRISPR-Cas9 has been used, for example, to make crops that are less likely to die from insects or drought.
How does CRISPR-Cas9 work?
There are two parts to the CRISPR-Cas9 system:
DNA is cut by an enzyme called Cas9.
- The guide RNA is a small piece of RNA that tells the Cas9 protein where on the DNA strand to cut.
- When the Cas9 protein and the guide RNA bind to the DNA, the Cas9 protein cuts the DNA exactly where the guide RNA matches.
- This makes a break in the double-stranded DNA.
- The DNA break is then fixed by the cell's DNA repair machinery, which either adds new DNA or gets rid of the cut DNA.
CRISPR Babies Created in China: A Scientific Breakthrough with Ethical Implications
Credit: HVMN Podcast
In 2018, a group of Chinese scientists made news when they said they had used CRISPR-Cas9 to change the genes of two babies to make them resistant to HIV. The kids, a boy and a girl, were born to a mother who had HIV and a father who did not. He Jiankui and his team at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, were the ones who did the experiment. They said they used CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the CCR5 gene in the kids' embryos, making them resistant to HIV.
The CRISPR babies project has brought up important questions about the ethics of editing genes and the future of human evolution. It is important to talk about these things in public so that we can decide how to use CRISPR-Cas9 technology in the future in a smart way.
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Applications of CRISPR-Cas9
CRISPR-Cas9 can be used to:
1. Treat genetic diseases:
CRISPR in Sickle Cell Anemia
Mice with sickle cell anemia have been treated with CRISPR-Cas9. Scientists used CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the genes of sickle cell mice in a 2017 study, making them produce normal hemoglobin. The mice that had their genes transformed were able to live normal lives and no longer got sick from sickle cell anemia.
CRISPR Cas9 in Cystic Fibrosis
Mice with Cystic fibrosis have also been treated with CRISPR-Cas9. In a 2018 study, scientists used CRISPR-Cas9 to change the genes of mice with cystic fibrosis. This allowed the mice to make the protein they were missing. The edited mice were able to breathe normally and could no longer get sick from the side effects of Cystic Fibrosis.
CRISPR-Cas9 is also being looked at as a possible way to treat a number of other genetic illnesses, such as HIV, cancer, and Tay-Sachs disease.
2. Create new crops with improved traits:
- CRISPR-Cas9 has been used to make plants that don't get attacked by insects or get infected. Scientists have used CRISPR-Cas9, for example, to modify the genes of rice plants so that they are immune to the rice blast fungus. This could help farmers and the earth by reducing the need for pesticides and herbicides.
- CRISPR-Cas9 has also been used to create crops that are more nutritious. For example, scientists have used CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the tomatoes genes, making them produce more vitamin A. This could help to reduce vitamin A deficiency, which is a major health problem in many developing countries.
- CRISPR-Cas9 is also being studied as a potential tool for improving the taste and shelf life of crops.
3. Develop New Drugs
- CRISPR-Cas9 is being used to make new medicines that work better and are safer. Scientists use CRISPR-Cas9. For example, to change the genes of bacteria and make them make new drugs that work against bacteria that are immune to antibiotics.
- CRISPR-Cas9 is also being used to make new drugs that target specific genes that cause diseases. Scientists, for example, use CRISPR-Cas9 to make new kinds of cancer drugs which target the genes responsible for cancer proliferation & growth.
- CRISPR-Cas9 is a amazing gene editing tool with the power to revolutionize many fields, including Genetics, Molecular Biology & Biotechnology.
The Future of CRISPR-Cas9 as Genome Editing Tool
- CRISPR-Cas9 is a system that is evolving effectively, and it is too soon to say what its full potential is. But it is clear that CRISPR-Cas9 has the potential to reshape many areas, such as Medicine, Agriculture, and Biotechnology.
- CRISPR-Cas9 could be used in the future to treat cancer, cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell anemia, among other genetic disorders.
- CRISPR-Cas9 could also be used to make new foods that are healthier and better able to fight off diseases and pests.
- CRISPR-Cas9 could also be used to make new drugs that work better and are safer.
- CRISPR-Cas9 research is an exciting area right now because there are so many things that could be done.
Potential Risks Associated with CRISPR-Cas9:
- CRISPR-Cas9 could be used to make animals with altered genes, which could have effects that were not planned.
- CRISPR-Cas9 could be used to make designer babies, which could be a problem from an ethical point of view.
- CRISPR-Cas9 could be used to do evil things, like make deadly Bioweapons.
A Concluding Remarks:
Lastly, CRISPR-Cas9 is a game-changing innovation in the field of genetic engineering. It can change DNA sequences with great accuracy and potential. Its ability to target specific genes holds a lot of promise for a wide range of uses, from medical studies and medicines to agricultural advances. Scientists have found a way to use the power of a bacterial defense system to change genetic information with amazing precision. This opens the door to personalized medicine and higher food yields.
CRISPR-Cas9 opens up a lot of interesting new options, but it also raises ethical and safety issues that need to be met with. Before wide-scale implementation, a lot of thought and careful study are needed because there could be unintentional or off-target effects. As technology improves, scientists, lawmakers, and the general public must talk openly about how it can be used, what limits it has, and what effects it might have on society.
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