The CRISPR-CAS-9 gene editing technique is one of the most revolutionary technologies out there. We already knew about its potential to cure diseases but as time goes on more and more uses are being discovered for it. Such as its ability to also genetically modify food crops. And now it’s ability to be used as a diagnostic tool.
As The Verge puts it, “A new biotech company co-founded by CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna [Mammoth Biosciences] is developing a device that uses CRISPR to detect all kinds of diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, and Zika. The tech is still just in prototype phase, but research in the field is showing promising results. These CRISPR-based diagnostic tools have the potential to revolutionize how we test for diseases in the hospital, or even at home.”
But, wait. There’s more!
“The same technology could be used in agriculture, to determine what’s making animals sick or what sorts of microbes are found in soil, or even in the oil and gas industry, to detect corrosive microbes in pipelines…”
Proving that once again, CRISPR is full of surprises.
So how exactly dose this amazing new technology work?
According to Futurism:
“ The user first places a sample on the kit’s credit-card-sized piece of paper. This sample could be urine, blood, or saliva (which one will likely depend on what is needed for the particular test). Then, a CRISPR protein and its RNA guide search that sample for specific sequences of DNA or RNA. These sequences could be indicative for diseases such as malaria and Zika; a single test could look for multiple diseases.
If one of those sequences turns up, the CRISPR system snips it. It also snips what Mammoth calls a ‘reporter molecule,’ which produces a color that’s visible to the naked eye. Take a photo of your piece of paper, and the smartphone app will tell you what CRISPR turned up in your sample.”
It really is that easy. Perhaps eventually we’d even get to the point where we don’t have to go to the doctor at all. CRISPR to the rescue once again.
Is an at-home CRISPR kit the Greatest Idea Ever?
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