CRISPR-Cas9: Ever Growing Technology

Humans have been genetically engineering organisms for nearly 10,000 years using traditional methods of modification—among these methods include selective breeding and crossbreeding. Though effective, these methods were unreliable and were only able to change certain traits. A lack of control over our genetic material proved to be a clear hindrance to our species; when harnessed, advancements in other fields of knowledge would be immeasurable. Once seen as an impossible task, scientists have been able to exploit genes and take control of them. CRISPR-Cas9 is a system that allows scientists to cleave off sections of DNA and artificially modify them by inserting a mutation into the place of the old DNA. This is exceptionally precise, whilst

With modern technology comes the breakthrough of the decade by altering the human genes. This altering gene invention is called CRISPR/Cas9. However, this invention in the beginning stages of altering genes, began with rats until perfection. The process began early with the embryo stages to edit the genes. With the introduction of CRISPR surrounds a lot of controversy. Some people believe editing genes is playing with the hands of God and refuse to believe in CRISPR. With the article, “Let’s Hit Pause Before Altering Humankind”, by David Baltimore believes CRISPR is a tool with no good intentions. With this information the article should not be published with being against CRISPR.

The Gene Hackers published by the New Yorker’s Michael Specter talks about a breakthrough technology that could allow for the creation of genetically modified humans- “humans 2.0” as he calls it. This new technology could also be the cure for many genetic disorders like Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s etc. as it would allow scientist the ease of genetically identifying and editing specific genes responsible for these genetic abnormalities. This exciting new technology will be known as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats associated protein 9 or CRISPR-Cas 9 for short.

Human gene editing has long been controversial topic; however, precise techniques that accomplish this feat have only recently been discovered. According to the Welcome Genome Campus in the UK, the most versatile and simplest technique, called CRISPR-Cas9, allows scientists to cut, alter, or add to sections of the DNA sequence of living organisms (“What Is CRISPR-Cas9?”). This astonishing technology has nearly endless applications, including the potential to eradicate genetic diseases in humans that currently have no cure. This could have vast implications for people who suffer with disease and the economy of the region in which they live, but the technology has yet to be commercialized. The

CRISPR/Cas9 DNA editing system is a prokaryotic immune system that becomes resistant to foreign genetics such as plasmids. CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly-Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, which are prokaryotic DNA strands that have a short repetition base sequence. Cas9 is a nuclease enzyme that is used to cut into DNA strands that are associated with CRISPR type II. CRISPR/Cas9 system has several advantages when using this technology in the biological and biomedical sciences. It also has a few disadvantages that cause concerns when using this system in the medicine field. However, before all of this can be discussed, a depth of what CRISPR/Cas9 is and where it comes from and why is it important to the biology field.

Imagine a world where we can control genetics. What if we had the opportunity to eliminate all genetic diseases in just a few steps. Imagine a society where anyone could flip through a catalog to shop for traits to “design” their child. This may seem a little far fetched, however this imagined world may soon become possible through the rapid advancing development of genetic engineering. New and advanced technology has finally made it possible to access and hack the human genome. New gene editing technology called CRISPR Cas-9 has completely transformed the biomedical field. CRISPR Cas-9 is cheap, precise, efficient and ultimately works on all living organisms. Advanced genetic technology that have allowed us to genetically modify our food and clone sheep, may one day give parents the option to modify their own children. However the idea of one day creating “designer babies” sparks great controversy.

Even though it was discovered in 1987 by a research team at Osaka University, the true power of CRISPR, which functions as an adaptive bacteria immune defense, was not realized until the completion of the Human Genome Project in the early 2000’s (Carroll and Zhou 63-64). There are only two components of CRISPR, a guide RNA sequence (gRNA) and a Cas9 endonuclease protein. When the gRNA binds to its matching template DNA sequence, the Cas9 protein cuts the template DNA sequence resulting in the inactivation of that specific gene (Hille and Charpentier 3). In addition, a mutant gene can be replaced by adding another piece of DNA with the desired sequence, which will bind to the cut DNA template strand and become incorporated into the host

The power to genetically modify the human genome is being held captive even though it holds the opportunity to cure genetic diseases. The CRISPR method offers “unparalleled potential for modifying the human

Our world is in a constant state of flux. Changes are being made every second of the day, and this is only natural to life. So it shouldn’t come to a surprise with how rapidly advance our medical science is becoming. Why does nature spew new innovations? Because in order to survive, all living things have to overcome numerous obstacles in life. Therefore, scientists are constantly developing new technologies to reduce the hurdles of humans. This includes the method of genome-editing that may alter human DNA. However, there are many concern about the consequences of genome alteration as this will affect the individual and their future generation (Wade). We don’t know for certain what lies beyond this. While it makes a highly promising invention for a multiplicity of uses, could we be tampering with nature?

Genes play an important role in the life of every living organism. Genetics are found in Farming to a woman’s fertility, virtually impacting every aspect of our life. Sometimes, these perfect codes that allow life to function in the desired way go haywire and cause abnormalities in the organism. There is a way to fix all of these ailments and the only problem that stands in the way is an unknowledgable public. The media have created a block of false truth that only allows for the news of ‘safe’ procedures to make it through to the general public. Yet, from sickle cell to malaria, diseases must be cured with new advanced technologies like Crispr and gene therapy; these methods are just as safe as the current methods that are ineffective.

An idea that once seemed like mere science fiction is now, ever closer to becoming a reality thanks to advances in genetics, and the development of a gene editing technology called Crispr-Cas9, in 2012, which uses natural enzymes to target and snip genes

Recently, a group of Chinese scientists has shocked the world by successfully creating a genetically modified embryo in their lab using CRISPR, a powerful defense system in bacteria against viruses. Although some scientists celebrated the achievement as a monument, some argued that the experiment was wrong and unethical. They claimed that we should not use CRISPR as a tool to edit human genome and overcome certain diseases or against age because these may be contradicting to the natural evolutionary pathway (Radiolab, 2015). Indeed, changes in DNA would cause enormous impacts that even humans are unable to control. Besides artificially editing DNA sequences, there are indirect ways. Environmental interactions could be an ethical solution.

The CRISPR-Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-CRISPR associated protein) system is a defense mechanism found in bacteria and archaea to target and inactivate foreign DNA materials such as viral DNA. The foreign DNA is integrated into the CRISPR array. The inserted DNA, known as a spacer, is transcribed from CRISPR loci and translated into short CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs). The crRNA, also known as a guide RNA (gRNA), forms a complex with Cas9. This RNA-Cas9 complex scans for invading DNA materials complementary to the gRNA and cleaves it by Cas9, a protein encoded by CRISPR loci. Cas9 consists of an RNA binding domain, nuclease lobe for DNA cleavage, and protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) interacting sites recognizing the

Since CRISPR-Cas give scientist the ability to edit genomes with precision and efficiency, the applications of using CRISPR-Cas in space are endless. Scientist could manipulate the DNA of humans so that mutations provide astronauts with denser bones and larger amounts of muscle mass. Researchers can also use CRISPR-Cas to edit the genome of astronauts so that they resemble the mutations found in “Superhumans.” These mutations would make astronauts less vulnerable to bone loss and many other effects experiences in space travel. In addition, scientist could splice human DNA with other organisms through a process called transgenesis that may possibly make astronauts more resistant to radiation and its effects on the body outside of the earth’s magnetosphere.

A large majority of Homo sapiens do not appreciate the existence of bacteria, as evinced by the myriad hand sanitizer bottles ubiquitous in daily life, boasting, “Kills 99.9% of germs.” This is a highly rational response to the group of microscopic organisms, of which it is true many are malignant to maintaining homeostasis as agents of disease. However, bacteria are essential to the world’s functioning, with important roles and many benefits. Recently, scientists studying certain bacteria have found a mechanism in their immune systems that can alter the very code of life, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). This new tool is called Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR/Cas9), and has revolutionized the world of genetic engineering. CRISPR/Cas9 is less expensive, more accurate, and more effective, making this method much more amicable and available to the common geneticist compared to former techniques such as Transcription Activator Like Effector Nucleases (TALENs) and Zinc-Fingered Nucleases (ZFNs). This availability and potential applicability to the human genome raises important questions about ethics and modification of subsequent generations of humans. CRISPR has brought bioethicists and scientists together to demarcate the limits of genetic modification. Most agree aberrations to the human race as a whole may result in unforeseeable and irrevocable effects. Although genetic engineering performed on human beings is indubitably an avenue