A fascinating piece from the New Yorker on the frontiers
of research in the Biological Sciences:
“… It didn’t take
Zhang or other scientists long to realize that, if nature could turn these
molecules into the genetic equivalent of a global positioning system, so could
we. Researchers soon learned how to create synthetic versions of the RNA guides
and program them to deliver their cargo to virtually any cell. Once the enzyme
locks onto the matching DNA sequence, it can cut and paste nucleotides with the
precision we have come to expect from the search-and-replace function of a word
processor. “This was a finding of mind-boggling importance,” Zhang told me.
“And it set off a cascade of experiments that have transformed genetic
research.”
With CRISPR,
scientists can change, delete, and replace genes in any animal, including us.
Working mostly with mice, researchers have already deployed the tool to correct
the genetic errors responsible for sickle-cell anemia, muscular dystrophy, and
the fundamental defect associated with cystic fibrosis …”Related: