The Revolutionary Potential of CRISPR Gene Editing and Gene Therapy
What is CRISPR? CRISPR, which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, is a revolutionary gene-editing technology that allows scientists to make precise changes to an organism's DNA. It was originally discovered as part of the bacterial immune system, where it helps bacteria defend against viral infections. Biologists coined the term "CRISPR" to characterize a genetic phenomenon observed in microbes, notably bacteria and archaea, as far back as 1987. Its function became clearer around 2005 when researchers identified CRISPR as part of the microbial immune system. Microbes employ CRISPR to safeguard against viral intruders by recognizing and neutralizing specific invaders. Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna received the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering one of gene technology's sharpest tools: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors. What is Gene/Genome Editing and How is it related to CRISPR? Gene editing refers to the pro...