CRISPR-Cas9
- CRISPR-Cas9 is a widely used genome editing method.
- CRISPR stands for ‘clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats’.
- This refers to the basis of the ‘guide system’ that finds the ‘target’ – the specific sequence of the DNA that is to be modified.
- Cas9 stands for ‘CRISPR-associated protein 9’, the protein that cuts the DNA at the target site.
- This is faster, cheaper, more accurate, and more efficient than other existing genome editing methods.
- The technique has gained considerable traction recently to repair defective genes for potential therapeutic applications.
- Multiple clinical trials have been initiated in the U.S. and China (using the CRISPR-Cas9 system) to produce gene-edited cells for cancer and HIV-1 therapy.
Issues Involved
- There are reports of unintended consequences of the CRISPR-Cas9 system
- A study by Stanford University, U.S., found that the CRISPR-Cas9 system introduces unexpected off-target (outside of the intended editing sites) effects in mice.
- Other studies have highlighted that CRISPR-Cas9-edited cells might trigger cancer.