What on earth is CRISPR?
- Georgina Griffiths
- Mar 12, 2021
- 3 min read
The science of CRISPR has taken the world by storm through its versatility, as well as it being the research to which the 2020 Nobel prize in Chemistry was awarded. The two main researchers, who are now Nobel laureates, are Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna first met in a cafe in San Juan while at a microbiology conference where they discussed Crispr-Cas9 and its implications in regards to activity in bacteria. CRISPR has the potential to to treat blood cancers as well as genetic diseases such as blindness and haemophilia.
Genetic modification as a whole is a largely contested topic, especially with its implications of dictating how life should exist. Thus bypassing the Darwinian ideas which have lead society and nature to the point it is at now. However, genetic modification, especially in the context of agriculture and food is highly effective. In the USA only 10% of people believe that GM foods are healthier than non-GM foods. In the same way, 39% of Americans believe that GM-foods are in fact less healthy the non-GM foods. This view goes directly against the principle of many of the modifications which have been made. For example the vitamin A enriched rice which has been used to counter vitamin A deficiency which can cause blindness or potentially death.
CRISPR is used for altering a piece of DNA but has also been adapted to be used to turn genes on and off. The previous method to CRISPR was expensive and time consuming but now it is the contrary. Sadly, gene editing is largely not as precise as we have been lead to believe by the term. It is very difficult to find the specific gene which is causing the problem.
The process utilises the process in which a virus inserts its DNA into a bacterial cell and transferring the DNA into RNA which is then removed from the RNA strand to be inserted elsewhere. This however is a very rudimentary and I recommend reading into this topic in more depth, there will be articles linked below which I can recommend.
As aforementioned, the utilisation of genome editing in humans, or animal organisms in general. However, it could be used to eliminate genetic diseases, and has been in China but has faced much backlash on ethical grounds. There is a general fear of the possibility of creating transgenic organisms, the image of a mouse with a human ear on its back imprinted in people's eyes. But it does not have to be as gruesome as that. There are goats which have been modified to have spider genes which cause them to produce spider silk in large quantities as milk. Spider silk is very strong and could be utilised commercially due to this but due to spiders being very small and spider webs fairly hard to harvest. Now due to genetic modifications it can be utilised more easily and cheaply.
The utilisation of genome editing has endless possibilities and CRISPR has only broadened the horizons by making it quick and cheap!! Although there are ethical dilemmas surrounding the matter it is clear that the bad outweighs the good.
References:
"What is CRISPR?", by Michael Le Page, for New Scientist, accessed 12/3/21, https://institutions.newscientist.com/term/what-is-crispr/
(Image 2 via) "There’s a new kind of superfood – and it’s not what you think" by Michael Le Page, for New Scientist, accessed 12/3/21, https://institutions.newscientist.com/article/mg23831790-300-theres-a-new-kind-of-superfood-and-its-not-what-you-think/
"How Crispr went from niche to Nobel", by Katrina Kraemer, for Chemistry World, accessed 12/3/21, https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/how-crispr-went-from-niche-to-nobel/4012604.article
"The goats with spider genes and silk in their milk", BBC News, accessed 12/3/21, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/science-environment-16554357
(Image 1 via) "Emmanuelle Charpentier & Jennifer A. Doudna", accessed 12/3/21, https://makingherstory.org.uk/emmanuelle-and-jennifer/
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