Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, better known as CRISPR, has been one of the most innovative tools for modern biotechnology. Although its discovery began in the 1980s, it was in the early 2010s that CRISPR would become an effective genetic editing tool. In less than a decade, this system has transformed the field of genetics and biomedical research. With the ability to make precise, specific changes to DNA, CRISPR holds a wide range of potential applications—from curing genetic diseases to improving crop yields. This article discusses potential future uses of CRISPR and what impact it may have in several sectors.
The Basics of CRISPR Technology
Deep down, CRISPR is a defense mechanism developed by bacteria to hold off viruses. The CRISPR system retains, upon infection by a virus, a fragment of viral DNA. This retained DNA serves the bacterium as a way of identifying and neutralizing the virus when it happens to attack again. The structure of CRISPR is made up of two major components: the Cas9 enzyme and a guide RNA. Guided by a guide RNA, the Cas9 enzyme goes to a certain position in the DNA, where the enzyme nicks the DNA strand. Scientists, thereafter, modify the DNA sequence at that position and, in effect, edit the genome.
CRISPR is simple, accurate, and efficient. Hence, it has gained rapid popularity for genetic research and therapeutic purposes. In contrast to previous time-consuming and expensive methods of editing genes, CRISPR enables precise modifications with comparative ease.
Current Applications of CRISPR
Potential applications for CRISPR already exist in numerous forms, and some of these forms are closer to reality than others. The most popular uses for CRISPR are treatments related to genetic disorders. Scientists have been able to correct mutations in the laboratory that can cause sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis using CRISPR. A path-breaking clinical trial in 2020 demonstrated the promising use of CRISPR for sickle cell anemia in patients and gave new hope for its permanent cure.
Beyond human medicine, CRISPR is finding ever more innovative uses in agriculture. CRISPR could have much to offer in the quest to improve food security, reduce reliance on chemical pesticides, and limit harm to the environment, by engineering crops that are resilient against disease, pests, and environmental stressors, such as drought. Examples include: Using CRISPR to obtain rice strains resistant to bacterial blight, one of the biggest world threats to rice production.
Another exciting application of CRISPR involves gene drives. Gene drives are genetic systems that increase the chance a particular trait will be passed on to the next generation, even if that particular trait normally would be rare. This technology could ensure population control for disease-carrying insects, such as mosquitoes, that might otherwise spread diseases like malaria.
Future Uses of CRISPR
As the technology of CRISPR keeps improving, applications of this biotechnological method will be extended to more varied fields. CRISPR is very likely to be deployed in these promising areas soon with great impact:
Personalized Medicine: CRISPR technology will enable personalized medicine on an unprecedented scale. By mapping the genetic blueprint of a patient, doctors could use CRISPR to make precise modifications that cure, or even prevent, diseases. For example, CRISPR could edit out harmful mutations within a patient’s DNA, or introduce protective genes that would decrease the chance of certain diseases. This can also include targeted treatments against cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and so on, where the patient’s prognosis can be improved manyfold.
Organ Transplants: The major challenges in organ transplantation are the inadequacy of donor organs and possible rejection by the recipient’s immune system. With CRISPR, these might be solved because CRISPR would allow the genetic modification of animal organs to make them more compatible organs for human recipients. This is known as xenotransplantation, wherein the body of one species takes the place of an organ of another species’ body. Xenotransplantation has the potential to transform the face of organ transplantation and save thousands of lives.
Conservation of the Environment: CRISPR can help in environmental conservation. Gene editing could be used to protect endangered species by making them hardier against diseases, or changes in the environment. In addition, CRISPR can be applied for the control of harmful invasive species that threaten ecosystems; examples include the Asian carp in North America and the cane toad in Australia.
Bioenergy and Biomanufacturing: CRISPR has great potential for improvement in biofuels and other renewable fuels. CRISPR, by editing the genetic pattern of microbes, allows scientists to acquire more improved microbe strains for the production of biofuels, thereby reducing human dependence on fossil fuels. The second area involves the use of CRISPR in the engineering of microorganisms for use in biomanufacturing, to provide high-value chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and materials sustainably.
Gene Therapy: One of the most transformational potential uses of CRISPR is in gene therapy. Contrasting with traditional therapies that treat symptoms, gene therapy tries to get at the very root cause of a disease by fixing faulty genes or replacing them. CRISPR will make gene therapy more precise and available, which opens new hope for patients suffering from genetic disorders, presently, without a cure.
Ethical Considerations and Challenges
CRISPR, while highly promising, does come with significant ethical considerations and challenges. Among many debated issues, the use of CRISPR for germline editing is probably the one that is most debated. Germline involves modifying embryo DNA that could be passed onto future generations. While this may someday prevent diseases from being hereditary, it brings out uncomfortable contingencies of misuse of genetic engineering in “designer babies.”
Besides that, questions also arise about access and equity issues related to CRISPR-based therapies. As with any other new technology, there is a concern that such treatments might be prohibitively expensive, accessible only to a few privileged people, and further increasing healthcare disparities.
There is the challenge of ensuring the safety and precision of CRISPR. While the technology has shown unprecedented levels of precision, it is not free of off-target effects, which are changes unintended in the genome. The need for continuous research and development would imply a fine-tuning of the technology toward eliminating these potential issues.
Conclusion
The CRISPR system represents a quantum leap in genetic editing, finding applications in medicine and agriculture, among many others. As researchers continue to explore its possibilities, CRISPR might be the new solution to some of the world’s trickiest problems. In the future, though, it is vital that ethical implications be considered with great care and that benefits from this technology be extended to all. With responsible development and regulation, CRISPR can potentially change the world for the better.
Read more articles related to science and research on our Zealousness blog Science – iN Education Inc. (ineducationonline.org).
References
- Doudna, J. A., and Charpentier, E. (2014). “The New Frontier of Genome Engineering with CRISPR-Cas9.” Science, 346(6213), 1258096.
- Ledford, H. (2020). “CRISPR Treatment Inserted Directly Into the Body for the First Time.” Nature News. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00194-3
- Pennisi, E. (2020). “How CRISPR is Revolutionizing Biomedicine and Agriculture.” Science. https://www.science.org/content/article/how-crispr-revolutionizing-biomedicine-and-agriculture
- Carroll, D. (2019). “A CRISPR-Cas Toolkit for Genetic Engineering and Gene Therapy.” Science, 365(6460), 1400-1401.
- Regalado, A. (2016). “Gene Drives Could Wipe Out Entire Species to Protect Human Health.” MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602687/gene-drives-could-wipe-out-entire-species-to-protect-human-health/
