CRISPR Explained

In a document, if we suspect we've misspelled a word, we can use the Find function to highlight the error and correct it or delete it. Within our DNA, that function is taken on by a system called CRISPR-Cas9. CRISPR is short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. CRISPR consists of two components, the Cas9 protein that can cut DNA and a guide RNA that can recognize the sequence of DNA to be edited. To use CRISPR-Cas9, scientists first identify the sequence of the human genome that's causing a health problem. Then they create a specific guide RNA to recognize that particular stretch of A's, T's, G's, and C's in the DNA. The guide RNA is attached to the DNA-cutting enzyme Cas9, and then this complex is introduced to the target cells. It locates the target letter sequence and cuts the DNA. At that point, scientists can then edit the existing genome by either modifying, deleting, or inserting new sequences. It effectively makes CRISPR-Cas9 a cut-and-paste tool for DNA editing. In the future, scientists hope to use CRISPR-Cas9 to develop critical advances in patient care or even cure lifelong inherited diseases.