CRISPR-Cas9
Background
- CRISPR-Cas9 is a genome editing tool.
- It is faster, cheaper and more accurate than previous techniques of editing DNA and has a wide range of potential applications.
|
CRISPR-Cas9 is a unique technology that enables geneticists and medical researchers to edit parts of the genome by removing, adding or altering sections of the DNA Sequence.
It is currently the simplest, most versatile and precise method of genetic manipulation and is therefore causing a buzz in the science world.
|
Effective treatment of diseases
- This method offers an enormous range of options to intervene with the genetic code of living organisms, both people and animals as well as micro-organisms and plants.
- This can be beneficial when treating diseases, such as cancer and genetic diseases.
- The CRISPR/Cas9 technology can also be applied to crops.
- By editing the genome, you can give the crop the desired characteristics, whereby it becomes resistant to pathogens or grows faster and eventually provides a higher yield.
How the genetic scissors work
- CRISPR, which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, is a piece of DNA, a so-called DNA sequence.
- CRISPR sequences were first discovered in bacteria and archaea, which are part of an adaptive immune system that can recognize infectious viruses.
|
Once CRISPR recognizes the virus, a mechanism comes into operation whereby enzymes (such as Cas9) can “cut” the genetic material of the viruses and make them harmless.
In this way, disease-causing or other undesirable genes are turned off, or “healthy” and desirable genes can even be inserted into the genome.
|
- This system has been modified by scientists in such a way that it also works in animal and plant cells.
- CRISPR sequences are developed so that they specifically recognize the relevant part of the genome of these cells.
- The CRISPR sequence leads the Cas9 enzyme, for example, to that part of the genome which is selectively cut.
The ethical Dilemma
Cases of creating a ‘designer baby’, and caused widespread concern in the scientific community.
Preventive interventions to obtain special traits is not something that scientists are not something that scientists currently want the technology to be used for.
Socioeconomic disparities
Multiple polls have shown that the majority of people around the world are opposed to the use of genetic engineering of embryos for enhancement, such as athletic ability and intelligence, or for altering physical characteristics, such as eye colour and height. 89 It is easy to conceive of the risk of a new age of eugenics.
Possible stigma
Especially while the concept is still novel, it is difficult to predict how society will feel about gene‐edited babies.
Insurance
Because gene editing will be a tool to cure and prevent illness, the insurance coverage will be an important part of the conversation.
Glossary
- DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid, a molecule present in all cells that carries genetic instructions.
- RNA: Ribonucleic acid, a single-stranded molecule sometimes referred to as DNA’s “cousin.”
- CRISPR: clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats – arrays of repeated DNA sequences.
- Cas: CRISPR-associated proteins that cleave virus DNA. There are 93 of them, one of which is Cas9.
- TracrRNA: trans-activating CRISPR RNA, which enables long RNA created from a CRISPR sequence to mature into its active form.
For Prelims & Mains
|
For Prelims: CRISPR-Cas9, RNA, DNA,
For Mains: What is CRISPR-Cas9 and explain the ethical dilemmas associated with it? (250 words)
|
