genome editing CRISPR-CAS9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a tool used to cut out specific sections of DNA that you want to modify . It is also used for more detailed genomic studies. For this process to work properly, two things are needed: a protein called CAS9 and an RNA molecule. These two form the basis of the system, which can identify different parts of the DNA and cut out the part to be edited.
Let me try to explain this process in a very simplified way. First, CAS9 must be moved to the required location, where it binds to a PAM (Protospacer Adjacent Motif) sequence, which is a short sequence of DNA (usually two to six bases). This is exactly where CRISPR intervention is needed: the PAM is required for cleavage of the CAS9 protein, usually three to four bases downstream of the cleavage site. The RNA then reveals the typical double helix that we are all too familiar with in such a way that it would link to DNA if the correct sequence had already been found; the RNA is designed to fit ideally into a specific DNA sequence. The protein CAS9 is then used to cut out the wrong part and either inactivate the bad gene or replace it with a “sample” of DNA.
This exact CRISPR-Cas9 method was used on mice suffering from muscular dystrophy. In the course of this research, it was confirmed that this is indeed an amazing and revolutionary method that could save many lives. However, there is still a long way to go before biologists and medical scientists will be able to completely modify human genes, rather than mice, without problems.
This is a major breakthrough not only in genetics, but also in medicine, and has the potential to give many people a better life, free of genetic diseases. However, it is also possible that someone will try to exploit this important discovery and put someone else at risk. So is CRISPR-Cas9 good or bad? Are people starting to play God? These are questions that everyone should answer for themselves.