New Tool Called “CRISPR-Cas9” Facilitates Cheap, Accurate, Fast Gene Editing, Nobel-Wining Researchers Find.
By Sida Lai in Week 4
In 1997, the American Sci-Fi film “Gattaca” envisions a future where children could be conceived through genetic selections to inherit only the best traits, giving them unfair privileges later in life. The dystopian story raises concern over the consequences of such technologies that could lead to discrimination and other ethical issues.
Genome editing portrayed in the movie, however, is becoming a reality.
Researchers recently have developed an innovative way of making specific modifications to living cells’ genes through a new tool known as “CRISPR-Cas9.” This method allows gene editing to be faster, simpler, cheaper, and more accurate than ever before.
But what is CRISPR-Cas9?
Genes, or genome, are the basic units of inheritance, primarily consisting of DNA. CRISPR-Cas9 is a unique technology that enables scientists to edit parts of cells’ genes by removing, adding, or altering sections of the DNA. It functions like “genetic scissors” to quickly and precisely identify and cleave particular DNA sequences.
The discovery of CRISPR-CAS9 has broadened scientists’ imagination of how it could be developed for a wide range of applications. Researchers indicate it could detect and eliminate diseases in plant, animal, and human cells. The tool disarms viruses by directing and separating their DNA. In agriculture, it could make plants drought and pest-resistant.
For humans, researchers suggest that it could treat conditions like AIDS by targeting viruses’ genome to reduce their amount and hence decrease infection. Studies also indicate that the method is a safe and effective treatment for hereditary and genetic diseases like cancer. It could identify and correct disease-causing mutations in the genes.
Beyond curing diseases, however, genome editing through CRISPR-CAS9 has raised concerns. Scientists are worried about its dangerous use in modifying humans cells. Back in 2018, a Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, claimed to have used the method to produce two genetically modified babies intended to be HIV-resistant. He has received widespread criticism and punishment over his conduct against laws and ethical norms. The public also raised moral concern over the children’s health and future.
In general, CRISPR-CAS9 shows great potentials in the areas of public health, agriculture, and biomedicine. Its development was made by a team led by Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna. They were later awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020, becoming the first all-female winners of any science Nobel.
In her remote Nobel Lecture, Doudna, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, highlights how it may also help alleviate the COVID-19 and future pandemics.
Doudna said CRISPR-Cas9 could detect and identify the strain of the virus that patients have contracted quickly. The researchers hope to ultimately develop a simple mechanism on cell phones that can instantly record diagnostic results and help people globally. This not only an easy way for fast virus screening in the current pandemic, but also an essential step in preparation for the future.
CRISPR-Cas9 opened a new era for gene editing with promising rewards. Yet, its application will always raise moral, legal, and ethical issues. If the tool were to become widespread in the near future, what would it mean to be a genetically modified human and not? Who will have access to technology’s benefits? Would this further increase the polarization between the rich and the poor? Would the class society based on genes in “Gattaca” become true?
These questions remain unknown.
