The Gene Hackers By The New Yorker 's Michael Specter Essay

CRISPR is a new gene-modifying tool that has the potential to treat numerous medical conditions by editing genes that are responsible for certain diseases. This technology is based on the ability of bacteria to destroy the DNA of invading viruses. Studies have suggested that this new technology can be applied to human cells, although the idea of chopping up regions of the human genome can be unethical and could even be harmful. In order for the treatment to be administered to a patient, a small piece of RNA and an enzyme that makes a cut in the DNA are delivered to the cells. A biotechnology company, known as Editas Medicine, located in Cambridge, MA, is already designing treatments for conditions of the blood and the eye using CRISPR. For

In theory, CRISPR is an extreme method of gene editing and gene editing has been around for years on end. It has been used on plants to make them a more sustainable crop. CRISPR technology has not yet been perfected to be accessible to everyone. Yet the first clinical crispr trial happened in October of 2016, Michael Le Page tells us that in the first clinical trial of CRISPR being used "Doctors removed immune cells from the blood of a person with lung cancer, used CRISPR to disable a gene called PD-1 and then returned the cells to the body," the results of the trial are said to not be released until 2018 (Le Page 1).

During January of 2013, scientists based at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard were able to demonstrate fixed change in human and animal cells using CRISPR-Cas9. This marked a turning point in genetic advancement—though CRISPR was far from mastered, its potential was beginning to show.

Genome editing is a huge leap forward in science and medicine. Because of recent advances in technology, the study of genes and induced ‘point’ mutations have led to the discovery and advancement of methods previously used in order to mutate genes. The development of Clusters of Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPRs) and CRISPR associated system 9 protein (Cas9) technology is a hugely significant leap forward as this is a tool that could potentially be used for the research into and hopefully the treatment of a range of medical conditions that are genetically related. Cystic fibrosis (Schwank, G. et al, 2013), haemophilia and sickle cell disease are an example of some of the conditions that have the

Mullis came to light. This technology seemed to to hold a promise that it would end human suffering, that it would be the road to a perfect world, where diseases were no longer a threat and pesticides would become an archaic method of the past. This new technology was called PCR, and it was the earliest form of gene editing. Fast forward to today, where another great leap in the science of gene editing has just occurred - one that might be exactly what everyone thought PCR would turn into. This leap has been dubbed CRISPR, and its capabilities make PCR look like, well, nothing. CRISPR uses a device originally found in bacteria called CAS-9 to precisely snip a targeted area of an organism's genome and replace it with the correct gene. CRISPR is by all accounts an amazing technology, but there are some who think it should not be used. CRISPR has

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.

For many years biomedical researchers like myself have been trying to create more proactive ways to amend the genome for living cells. In more recent fieldwork studies there has been a new state of the art instrument based on bacterial CRISP in close works with protein 9 often referred to as CAS9 from the streptococcus progenies have possibly unlocked new data. The CRISP/CAS9 tries to manipulate the function of the gene using homologous recombination and RNA interference, but is set back because it can only provide short term restriction of the genes function and it’s iffy off- target effects.

CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat, referring to the repeating DNA sequences found in the genomes of microorganisms. CRISPR technology allows scientists to make precise changes in genes by splicing and replacing these DNA sequences with new ones. Through these changes, the biology of the cell is altered and possibly affects the health of an organism. The possibilities are endless as this offers opportunities in curing deadly diseases, modifying genes, and changing humanity as we know it. Although bioengineering has been around since the 1960s, CRISPR is significant because of the comparative low costs and the ease of the procedure to

There are other types of gene editing out there but research shows us that CRISPR is fast, precise, and simple. Researchers are developing a way for CRISPR therapy to help with Alzheimer’s all the way to HIV. There are two categories the researchers and people have put CRISPR in: practical and philosophical. The researchers say that the immediate barrier is practical. During the tests, CRISPR has found targets in other parts of the DNA that need fixing other than the intended part of the DNA. Because of this, it may take at least a generation to ensure that it is safe. Some people oppose CRISPR because the oppositionists say it lets people play god but getting medicine every time you get sick with the same thing obscures the natural order of things. The opportunities are getting pushed ahead for treating cancer, childhood diseases that are genetic, and how to understand diabetes better. The one question some people have is whether it’s right to edit genes that are

As well as having the ability to alter plant life, this technology is also said to be able to alter or manipulate human genes. Scientists are finding ways to manipulate certain genes to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, as well as depression. In the essay, Richard Hayes writes, “Last year Science magazine reported that a variant of the human 5-HTT gene reduces the risk of depression following stressful experiences” (185). By inserting the variant of that gene into embryos, some babies could have a chance at never experiencing depression. This would be an amazing feat, to be able to give a child a chance to never have to feel the devastating effects depression can have on a person. There are other disorders other than depression that could also be cured from the manipulation of human genes. Many children today are born with autism and Down syndrome. This technology could one day ensure that all babies are born completely healthy with no defects or disorders

Due to CRISPR-Cas9’s low cost, global scientific research on genetic editing has flourished. The power of CRISPR “is so easily accessible by labs — you don 't need a very expensive piece of equipment and people don 't need to get many years of training to do this” (Ledford). Because of this, CRISPR technology has spread to labs across the globe. There are two main economic

In “Life the Remix,” Alice Park discusses the impact and influence CRISPR has on science as well as its potential and risks. CRISPR—“clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats”—is a technique to alter DNA, virtually for anything involving DNA. Although there have been attempts to edit DNA, none were as cheap and simple as CRISPR. This technique, which is based on the immune system of a bacetria, revolutionizes genetics after the subsequent discoveries of the molecular scissors enzyme: Cas9 and a method to efficiently and accurately edit human DNA using CRISPR, explains Park.

More recently, Kang et al have employed a different approach using a non-viral delivery method for CRISPR-Cas, known as 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.

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