CRISPR: The Tool That Edits DNA
What is it?
CRISPR is a tool that lets scientists edit DNA. Think of it like a tiny pair of scissors that can find one exact spot in a gene and cut it, remove it, or swap it out. Since some diseases come from a single broken gene (often passed down from parents), fixing that gene could stop the disease at its source.
3 Things to Know
DNA is the “code” that our bodies read to build new proteins and keep everything running.
CRISPR has huge potential for improving our environment and health, from eliminating methane in cows to helping treat sickle cell disease.
CRISPR is currently being tested to treat childhood blindness, and is already being used to help people with blood disorders.
Fun Fact
In 2001, In 2001, scientists helped three dogs that were born blind see for the first time using gene therapy! Discoveries like this paved the way for gene-editing tools like CRISPR.
Current research
How can scientists safely get CRISPR into a patient's body, and how can they make sure it only edits the specific gene they want?
Explore!
How CRISPR lets you edit DNA - Andrea M. Henle
Genome Editing with CRISPR-Cas9
In Gene Therapy First, Scientists Restore Vision To Dogs Born Blind - Science Daily.