Welcome to the Biology page for The Quarters.

What is CRISPR?

CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats, which means it is segments of DNA containing short repetitions of base sequences. This gene-editing tool allows scientists to selectively modify the DNA of living organisms, allowing real life applications in many areas from agriculture to genetic research.

Who discovered & developed CRISPR?

This revolutionary gene-editing tool was originally discovered as a crucial part of the  immune system used by microbes to protect themselves against invading viruses. In 1987, Japanese scientist Yoshizumi Ishino & his team accidentally discovered this unusual repetitive DNA sequence in E. Coli, without knowing its immunity roles until the early 2000s.

However, the actual mechanism allowing gene modifications (CRISPR – CAS9) was  discovered by scientists George Church, Jennifer Doudna, Emmanuelle Charpentier, and Feng Zhang. The potential benefits of this soon became widely known, and earned Dr. Jennifer Doudna & Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020, becoming the first all-female team to do so.

How does CRISPR - CAS9 work?

Think of the CRISPR-CAS9 mechanism as an efficient and precise pair of molecular scissors. It starts with a gRNA (guide RNA) that is made to match to a specific sequence of DNA in a genome that is also attached to the CAS9 enzyme, locating the target DNA. Then, the enzyme cuts the target DNA, giving scientists free reign to alter, add, or remove pieces of genetic material - leading to a customized DNA sequence. So, if CRISPR has this much power why is it not used more widely?

Pros & Cons of CRISPR 

CRISPR holds a lot of promise with many notable advantages such as:

• Precision – CRISPR is highly accurate and only affects the target DNA. 

• Vast range of applications – CRISPR can treat a wide range of problems but most prominently genetic disorders with the potential to correct and mitigate these diseases that impact millions of people. 

• Long-term – CRISPR can offer a one-time cure, eliminating the need for ongoing treatments. 

• Personalized – CRISPR allows tailor-made treatments, increasing the treatment’s effectiveness and safety for patients.

CRISPR also holds a lot of drawbacks including:

• Ethical Concerns – the use of CRISPR contain many ethical implications. For  example, repetitive use of CRISPR to treat a disorder can lead to genetic inequality where only a certain population may benefit from these enhancements.

• Accessibility – the high cost of CRISPR could create disparities, leading to inequity as only certain people can access this treatment. 

• Not foolproof – CRISPR’s precision is not guaranteed 100% of the time, which can have unpredictable consequences. 

• Unknown effects – the use of CRISPR has only been started recently, so the long term impacts of CRISPR are not fully understood yet which could lead to further problems in the future.

Conclusion

In conclusion, CRISPR represents the ground-breaking technological advancements that are being made to treat a range of problems. But, like everything in science, CRISPR isn’t perfect. Nevertheless, with the ongoing efforts put into understanding and applying it safely by scientists and researchers globally, CRISPR can transform both medicine and our understanding of genetics, helping hundreds of millions of people worldwide live longer and healthier lives.