The CRISPR/Cas9 system is a system currently being studied for use as a genetic modification method. It was discovered by scientists working with bacterial cells. It was discovered that bacterial cells utilize a defense system in which they identify viruses that are invading and “chop up” their DNA. This defense mechanism is composed of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats found within the genome of bacteria. This is the origin of the CRISRP acronym. These CRISPR sequences are specific patterns of DNA sequences that are capable of being edited out of genes. Using the CRISPR system, bacteria are able to destroy the genome of invading viruses and thus prevent the virus from being able to replicate and survive in its host.
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The system allows researchers to easily create many animal models of diseases that were previously found to be difficult to do because creating these models was slow and costly. The system could be used to correct mutant genes that cause genetic disorders, getting rid of the disease overall. In 2014, a study was done by scientists at MIT in which the CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to cure mice of a rare genetic liver disorder. There are a wide variety of other genetic disorders that have the possibility of being treated with this biotechnology. These include hemophilia, huntington’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy. Patrick Hsu, a bioengineer at the Sulk Institute for Biological Studies, has begun studies using this biotechnology to model neurodegenerative disorders using monkeys. This is a huge advancement, for this would be a much more effective model than the previous mouse models being used. Another study has been done at Harvard in which the CRISPR/Cas9 system is being used to knock out the gene known to cause obesity. Researchers have also used this technology to reverse mutations that cause blindness and stop cancer cells from multiplying. The fact that this technology allows researchers to successfully do these things using model organisms opens up many possibilities for the use of using this technology to treat various diseases in …show more content…
As stated previously, all that needs to be done is the guide RNA needs to lead the Cas9 enzyme to a particular location on a gene. An article in the New York Times stated that the system was so easy, that it could be mastered by a graduate student within an hour. This is a huge breakthrough when one takes into consideration how long it would have taken in the past to edit a gene. The same New York Times article states that editing a gene would once take the time of an entire PhD thesis. Overall, efficiency, time, and cost effectiveness aspects of CRISPR make it easy to argue that the technique should be used. Using this system opens the door for making better, more efficient model organisms in less time with less money. This would in turn lead to the ability to better study many human
The system allows researchers to easily create many animal models of diseases that were previously found to be difficult to do because creating these models was slow and costly. The system could be used to correct mutant genes that cause genetic disorders, getting rid of the disease overall. In 2014, a study was done by scientists at MIT in which the CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to cure mice of a rare genetic liver disorder. There are a wide variety of other genetic disorders that have the possibility of being treated with this biotechnology. These include hemophilia, huntington’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy. Patrick Hsu, a bioengineer at the Sulk Institute for Biological Studies, has begun studies using this biotechnology to model neurodegenerative disorders using monkeys. This is a huge advancement, for this would be a much more effective model than the previous mouse models being used. Another study has been done at Harvard in which the CRISPR/Cas9 system is being used to knock out the gene known to cause obesity. Researchers have also used this technology to reverse mutations that cause blindness and stop cancer cells from multiplying. The fact that this technology allows researchers to successfully do these things using model organisms opens up many possibilities for the use of using this technology to treat various diseases in …show more content…
As stated previously, all that needs to be done is the guide RNA needs to lead the Cas9 enzyme to a particular location on a gene. An article in the New York Times stated that the system was so easy, that it could be mastered by a graduate student within an hour. This is a huge breakthrough when one takes into consideration how long it would have taken in the past to edit a gene. The same New York Times article states that editing a gene would once take the time of an entire PhD thesis. Overall, efficiency, time, and cost effectiveness aspects of CRISPR make it easy to argue that the technique should be used. Using this system opens the door for making better, more efficient model organisms in less time with less money. This would in turn lead to the ability to better study many human