DNA. Arguably the most exalted three letters from all of biology, on par with the prevalent H20 of chemistry and Einstein’s e=mc^2 of physics. We’ve all heard of this three letter acronym, perhaps tried to spell the full deoxyribonucleic acid once or twice. But we don’t often consider how just one letter mistake, one wrong copy of a gene, a tiny error in this code of life, may have drastic effects on the health of a human. What if we could alter some genes, fix up a few there, go into the actual genome and thus heal someone? As you may know, scientists have been doing this for quite a while now, using genetic engineering in what is known as gene therapy. However, a new tool known as CRISPR shows potential to accelerate research to unprecedented levels. Join me as we dive
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Although the term might conjure up images of mutant monsters tearing through a lab or some horror/science fiction from pop culture, a biochemist would inform you that humans have been genetically modifying organisms for thousands of years. (VA comparing fruits of past to now) We’ve been slowly enhancing crop yields and making cute dogs even cuter through selective breeding. Next, in the 1930’s, scientists began bombarding plants with radiation, hoping that the resulting random mutations might actually be beneficial. According to a New York Times article from August 28, 2007, quite a few products we have today, such as grapefruits or some strains of wheat are how they are now because of this irradiation treatment. In the past few decades, more advanced techniques known as recombinant DNA technology have arisen. These complex technologies would involve altering directly the actual DNA in an organism, not the much slower process of breeding or relying on luck for better traits. However, this new tech proved to still be rather slow and highly expensive. Scientists needed something that could get the job done better. Something new. Something
Although the term might conjure up images of mutant monsters tearing through a lab or some horror/science fiction from pop culture, a biochemist would inform you that humans have been genetically modifying organisms for thousands of years. (VA comparing fruits of past to now) We’ve been slowly enhancing crop yields and making cute dogs even cuter through selective breeding. Next, in the 1930’s, scientists began bombarding plants with radiation, hoping that the resulting random mutations might actually be beneficial. According to a New York Times article from August 28, 2007, quite a few products we have today, such as grapefruits or some strains of wheat are how they are now because of this irradiation treatment. In the past few decades, more advanced techniques known as recombinant DNA technology have arisen. These complex technologies would involve altering directly the actual DNA in an organism, not the much slower process of breeding or relying on luck for better traits. However, this new tech proved to still be rather slow and highly expensive. Scientists needed something that could get the job done better. Something new. Something