What if humans in the future not only found a way to live longer but were also able to edit their genetic makeup to be immune from deadly viruses or diseases? It turns out it was no longer just a dream.
Let's get acquainted with CRISPR, aka Clusters of Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats.
A Brief History of CRISPR
Before CRISPR was discovered, genetic engineering had been carried out on bacteria, mice, and tobacco since the 1970s. Genetic engineering can be defined as the modification of genetic molecules in an organism to obtain new desired traits.
CRISPR was originally discovered by a research team from Osaka, Japan, in the 1980s. The team discovered a mysterious cellular structure whose role was unknown while conducting research on the E. coli bacteria.
Subsequent research by a team of Spanish researchers found that these mysterious cellular structures did not die in microbes infected with a deadly virus.
This mysterious cellular structure is named CRISPR. It is a special region of DNA containing nucleotides and spacers (unmapped DNA regions) that functions as a defense system against viruses.
How CRISPR Works
CRISPR has two main components: Cas9 and guide RNA. Cas9 is an enzyme that cuts parts of DNA and connects the cut parts, while guide RNA guides Cas9 to the location of the target DNA.
Simply put, CRISPR is similar to the copy, paste, and cut function in a computer system. First, after the guide RNA pinpoints the specific location of the target DNA, Cas9 makes the cut.
After that, Cas9 will allow the DNA to make natural repairs (correction) or even insert new DNA sequences (insertion). It is in this phase that genetic editing can be carried out as desired.
Benefits of CRISPR
The development of CRISPR is very beneficial for the world of health. Currently, CRISPR is being explored to treat various diseases, such as hemophilia, autoimmune, blindness, malaria, HIV, and others.
In the future, perhaps CRISPR will not only be able to prevent humans from being infected with diseases but also find ways to make humans live longer and even modify the DNA of future babies.
Yup, ladies, you read that right!
This dream of CRISPR in the future is slowly starting to become a reality after, in 2015, He Jiankui, a scientist from China, reportedly modified the DNA of a prospective baby for the first time in the world. As a result of his actions, he was charged with violating medical regulations and sentenced to three years in prison.
Because of its enormous potential in the future, it is not surprising that many people think that CRISPR will make humans like "God."
Wow, that's a bit scary, isn't it?
From horror to understanding, find it all only at Fitie!