15 questions · 6 almanac · 0 findings

CRISPR and Gene Editing

Precise, programmable editing of genetic sequences.

Almanac Bacterial Scissors, Reprogrammed for Us
  • How do bacteria use CRISPR and Cas9 as a natural immune system against viruses?
  • What did Doudna and Charpentier show in 2012 that made CRISPR-Cas9 programmable?
  • Why was the January 2013 demonstration in human and mouse cells such a pivotal moment for the technology?
  • How quickly did CRISPR-Cas9 spread across different organisms and applications after 2013?
Almanac Bacterial Scissors, Reprogrammed for Anything
  • How does CRISPR-Cas9 function as a bacterial immune system against viruses?
  • What made CRISPR-Cas9 easier and cheaper to use than earlier gene-editing methods?
  • What controversy erupted at the end of 2015 over CRISPR's use in human embryos?
Almanac Scissors Borrowed From a Bacterium
  • How do bacteria use CRISPR as an immune memory against viruses?
  • What did Charpentier and Doudna's 2012 paper show could be done with the CRISPR-Cas9 system?
  • How does a guide RNA let CRISPR-Cas9 find one exact sequence among three billion base pairs?
  • What diseases have CRISPR-based therapies already reached clinical trials for?
Almanac A Gut Hormone Became a Weekly Injection
  • How do base editing and prime editing correct single-letter DNA mutations without cutting both strands?
  • Why did earlier gene-editing techniques cause more collateral damage than base and prime editing?