CRISPR Uncut: The Gene-Editing Tool Changing the Future of Medicine

Why this post, and why now?

We should first learn what CRISPR means before looking at the fight against Superbugs. Since it combines both biology and biotechnology, we are going to explain it in the simplest way possible, so you are better prepared to see how it can fight against antibiotic resistance. 

What is CRISPR?

CRISPR (pronounced "crisper") stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats - a natural defense system found in bacteria. As a result of their efforts, CRISPR is one of the most important gene-editing methods today. 

Think of CRISPR as a genetic GPS with scissors:

• The GPS (guide RNA) finds the exact spot on a strand of DNA
• The scissors (Cas9 enzyme) cut the DNA at that spot

Because of this, scientists are able to remove, put in, or alter genes with great precision.

How does CRISPR perform its role?

Imagine a book with billions of letters - this is your DNA. Sometimes, there's a typo that causes diseases. CRISPR lets us:

• Find the typo (with guide RNA)
• Cut it out (using the Cas9 protein)
• Replace it or let the body repair it

It is like Google Docs for your genes.

Diagram A: Steps of CRISPR application in gene editing [Link: https://iotasciences.com/applications/crispr-cas9/]

What Makes CRISPR so Groundbreaking?

• Precision - It affects only selected genes and leaves the rest of the DNA alone
• Efficiency - Faster and cheaper than older gene-editing methods like TALENs or ZFNs
• Versatility - Can be used in plants, animals, humans, and even bacteria 

Real-World Applications of CRISPR (So far)

• Treating genetic diseases like sickle cell anemia and beta thalassemia
• Developing climate-resilient crops
• Creating CRISPR-based diagnostics for viral infections like COVID-19
• Now being researched as a targeted weapon against antibiotic resistance

Scientific References

• Doudna, J. A., & Charpentier, E. (2014). The new frontier of genome engineering with CRISPR-Cas9. Science, 346(6213), 1258096. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1258096]
• Barrangou, R., & Marraffini, L. A. (2014). CRISPR-Cas systems: Prokaryotes upgrade to adaptive immunity. Molecular Cell, 54(2), 234-244.
• Ledford, H. (2015). CRISPR, the disruptor. Nature, 522(7554), 20–24.

Up Next: 

CRISPR vs. Superbugs: Can Gene Editing Save Us from Antibiotic Resistance?" 

Now that we have learned about CRISPR and how it functions, we can look at how it might become our best weapon against deadly superbugs. Stay tuned!

                                                                                                                                  - The Microbe Maven