The Use Of Crispr / Cas9 Gene Editing

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

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

Charles Darwin started it all. His theory of evolution and natural selection in 1859 lead people to question the biological limits of human society (Rose). Then came Hitler’s ideas in the 1930’s. His desire to create a dominant human race sparked the eugenics movement, the idea that the humans could be genetically improved by selective breeding (Rose). Even if this can be done, is it right to genetically modify fetuses? Furthermore, is there a line between changing a baby's genome in order to avoid disease and designing a baby with desirable traits?

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

CRISPR is a technology that allows DNA sequence to be altered in a precised manner in order to avoid genetic mutations that may lead to different diseases. It works by the action of the protein called Cas9 that acts as a molecular scalpel. Cas9 has the ability to detect which parts of the DNA are defective. After it determines where that part is, it attaches itself to it and after a series of chemical reactions, it cuts it right at the spot of the malfunctioned DNA. Sometimes, a new DNA can be attached to it so that the cell can work properly again.

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

CRISPR has been used on animals before but, the real question is should we use CRISPR on humans? According to the Board Institute CRISPR stand for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, which are the hallmark of a bacterial defense system that forms the basis for CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology.

The ability to engineer biological systems and organisms has an enormous potential for applications across basic science, medicine and biotechnology. Genome editing is a group of technologies that allow scientists the ability to change an organism’s DNA, which can provide better outcomes for health and disease control compared to natural immunity and mutations. Genome editing (gene editing) allows genetic material to be added, removed or altered at particular locations in the genome. A number of gene editing technologies have emerged in recent years with one of the most versatile and precise methods of genetic manipulation being Crispr-Cas9 (Steve scott,2016). The term Crispr-cas9, (clustered regular interspaced short palindromic repeats)

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats or CRISPR is an efficient and reliable ways to make precise, targeted changes to the genome of living cells. It is a naturally occurring defence mechanism of bacteria. The first part of the defense system is CRISPR and it just remembers parts of viruses DNA so it can recognize and defend against the virus. The second part of the defense mechanism is a set of enzymes called Cas9 or CRISPR associated proteins. Cas9 precisely cuts DNA. The CRISPR/Cas9 system was found in streptococcus pyogenes or better know as the bacteria that causes strep throat. All of this is just shortened to CRISPR. Basicly Cas9 cuts DNA and CRISPR tells it where to cut. All biologists have to do give the Cas9

The question that should be asked now is how the CRSIPR sequences simply defend the micro-organism from invading viruses. In figure one; below there is a sequence of black diamonds (which represent DNA) and in between them are spacers. This is what is known as a CRISPR sequence. The spacers are vital for the immunity of the micro-organism or bacteria. They contain the genetic information of the previous viruses that have attacked this micro-organism. Furthermore, when a new virus attacks the micro-organism, a new spacer is added to the CRISPR sequence. This allows the immune system to recognise and silence exogenous genetic material. The process of this happens as the DNA of the virus is cut into short segments by the Cas (CRISPR associated)

Have you ever heard of a genetically modified child? Sounds like a video game or a movie doesn’t it? Well, soon, this could be a reality. Scientists are currently working on a technique that someday could correct genetic errors in cells. The technology is called CRISPR. It cuts out a defective portion or DNA and then replaces the empty spot with a corrective portion. CRISPR can stop diseases, offer lifelong protection from infection, and, maybe, even stop pain altogether (Doc. 3). However the technology might have some negative side effects (OI). The procedure is very expensive, and has the potential to not even work. At this time, I can not decide whether we should change human DNA and genes to make “better kids”.

The CRISPR/Cas9 system requires a proto-spacer adjacent motif (PAM) sequence. The PAM is necessary for cleavage of target DNA by Cas9, allowing differentiation between invading viral genome (in this case HIV) and the CRISPR locus in the host genome. One limitation of the CRISPR/Cas9 system to disrupt HIV could be due to low altering specificity, as the target loci is very small, so significant off target cleavage can occur (Wang et al.). CRISPR-Cas9 may create non-specific mutations in areas of the genome with similar homology, outside of the HIV provirus locus, which may cause cellular transformation (Larson et al., Tu et al.). Selection of Cas9 homologs with a longer PAM may decrease the probability of non-specific gene target and Cas9 homologs

Although gene editing tools could cause unintended irreversible mistakes, further studies and regulations could lead these tools to become successful and effective ways of medical treatment. However, these tools should be regulated and further tested before becoming a legalized treatment. The National Academy of Science comments that “Heritable germline genome editing trials must be approached with caution, but caution does not mean that they must be prohibited” (Regalado). Editing the germline and utilizing gene editing tools could be utilized for trials, but should be proceeded with cautions. As gene editing tools evolve to change diseases, scientists are eager to utilize CRISPR without considering pitfalls. Instituting more caution would