Hello! Welcome back to my blog.
I recently began learning about a DNA editing technique called CRISPR. In a VERY simplified nutshell, CRISPR is a sort of immune system technique used by microbes to protect themselves against invading viruses. The microbes incorporate a portion of the invader's DNA into their own gene sequence and thereby develop a resistance to future incursions by that organism.
Some scientists successfully used the technique to make gene edits in mice and correct genetic disorders, and others are using it to improve disease resistance in crops.But what is fascinating about the CRISPR discovery is its potential for application in human medicine. Researchers have already learned how to use the technique to edit the DNA of human cells; using CRISPR, a particular portion of human DNA was removed from a cell and replaced by another sequence.
The gene-editing technique, which was developed by UC-Berkeley biochemist Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Germany, has enormous potential for the prevention of human disease and genetic disorders. However, the technology is so new (having been published in 2012) that the scope of its application is yet unknown.
I have attached a link to an article authored by Carl Zimmer and originally published in Quanta Magazine in February of 2015 that goes into much greater depth about CRISPR and offers a better explanation of what it can do. Please enjoy it as much as I did.
Until next week, live long, and prosper.
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