{"id":3436,"date":"2020-03-12T12:56:55","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T12:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.citiusminds.com\/blog\/?p=3436"},"modified":"2021-07-24T14:21:22","modified_gmt":"2021-07-24T19:21:22","slug":"crispr-molecular-scissors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.citiusminds.com\/blog\/crispr-molecular-scissors\/","title":{"rendered":"CRISPR \u2013 Molecular Scissors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Genome editing has been in development since the 1970s since there have been technologies for gene sequencing, gene copying, and gene manipulating. But the invention of CRISPR has been a breakthrough in gene-editing. It helps in treating many genetic diseases with associated protein CAS-9. CRISPR is Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats found in the adaptive immune system of many bacteria and prokaryotes. For example, bacteria have to deal with viruses in their environment; they use CRISPER- CAS for splicing the virus\u2019s genome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lately, CRISPR technology is being used to treat many diseases like cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, cancer, etc. The method of the procedure involves cutting the double-stranded DNA at or near the mutated gene for, e.g., cystic fibrosis mutant gene. Then, the DNA of organisms can join the cut fragments of DNA through repair machinery or inserting a piece of DNA sequence at a particular target site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Previously, this research had been done only on mice and monkeys. Some Chinese scientists went as far as developing genetically engineered twin babies to remove HIV-infected mutant genes in the babies’ genome. That raised controversy regarding the ethical and moral usage of CRISPR technology. Many considered it as \u201cEditing humanity\u201d and didn\u2019t want it to be used for all and any desirable purpose. Some critical aspects related to safety, accessibility, prioritization, and engagement to technology have to be considered before deciding on whether to use this technology or not. First, it should have a therapeutic purpose of use, and second, its use should be limited and accessible to all. For example, applying CRISPR technology in changing eyes color, high IQ, strong bones is inappropriate and unethical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CRISPR complex consists of CAS9\nprotein and single-stranded RNA (sgDNA). When invading virus attacks bacteria,\nthe bacteria copy and incorporate some of the viral RNA sequences (i.e., PAM\nsequences- adjacent protospacer motifs) called \u201cspacers\u201d in between its DNA repeats\nsequences. Although, when the invasion of the virus occurs again, the bacteria\nrecognize the viral sequences. In the gene-editing procedure, the sgRNA guides\nthe CAS9 nuclease that produces a double nick at the target site (mutated gene)\nof the double-stranded DNA of the organism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(Source<\/a>) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

CRISPR technology is regarded as a \u201cGenetic vaccine\u201d as it alters adult cells, germ-line cells, and embryo cells. They are a pair of \u201cmolecular scissors\u201d to edit or modify the DNA, the blueprint of life. It has been widely used in plants to produce genetically modified plants, animals and its study of potential uses in our species is still underway. Like CAS-9, other proteins like CAS-3, CPF1 targeting DNA are also applicable. Again, the University of Pennsylvania has been a pioneer in this field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US patent application US20160175462A1<\/a>, titled\n\u201cDelivery, use and therapeutic applications of the CRISPR-CAS systems and\ncompositions for targeting disorders and diseases using viral components,\u201d\ngranted to Harvard College Massachusetts Institute of Technology Broad\nInstitute Inc., discloses the development and application of the CRISPR\/Cas9\nsystem as a tool for sequence targeting, such as genome perturbation or\ngene-editing of genes or genomes to address diseases and disorders using viral\ncomponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another patent CN104480144B<\/a>,\ntitled \u201cCRISPR gene therapy for HIV \/ Cas9 recombinant lentiviral vector and a\nlentivirus\u201d, granted to WUHAN UNIVERSITY, discloses the design of the\ninvasion-related CXCR4 coreceptor for HIV virus genetically modified CRISPR \/\nCas9 system, resistance off its expression, thereby inhibiting viruses, to\nachieve clearance of the virus within the cell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CRISPR technology has been a controversial topic in the media and press for the past some time. Many consider it unethical and immoral. Lately, a global pause was imposed on the usage and practice of CRISPR. It is still unknown if the world will ever understand, see, recognize, and use the impacts of this powerful tool.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Genome editing has been in development since the 1970s since there have been technologies for gene sequencing, gene copying, and gene manipulating. But the invention of CRISPR has been a breakthrough in gene-editing. It helps in treating many genetic diseases with associated protein CAS-9. CRISPR is Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats found in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[369,416,597,147,40],"class_list":["post-3436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-from-the-greatest","tag-cells","tag-gene","tag-rna","tag-technology","tag-uspto"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citiusminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citiusminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citiusminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citiusminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citiusminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3436"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.citiusminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3436\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citiusminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citiusminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citiusminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citiusminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}