One of the most radical discoveries of modern biology is the ability to alter the DNA of an organism by using genome-editing technologies. Amongst the many genome editing processes developed down the years, CRISPR technology has gained most popularity in terms of efficacy as well as a controversial status due to bioethical concerns. Crispr has the ability to alter, add or remove specific areas of the DNA efficiently, accurately and cost-effectively. By tinkering with the genome of an organism, scientists can now cure congenital genetic disorders in babies and create new robust varieties of agricultural crops. Crispr undoubtedly holds the key to solve major problems faced by humanity today, especially dealing with world hunger, providing sustainable and green solutions to the energy crisis, revolutionizing healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry. CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and it is found naturally in bacteria as a part of the immune system of bacteria against the attacks of viruses called Bacteriophages who use bacteria as a host to reproduce. The genome of bacteria has families of DNA sequences derived from the DNA fragments from viruses that have previously attacked the bacteria and helps to recognize the same DNA fragment in a subsequent viral attack. These families of DNA sequences in a bacterial genome are called CRISPR and with the help of Cas9 (CRISPR associated protein 9) enzyme, detect and cut the specific DNA sequence which are complementary to its own sequence. This ability of recognizing and cutting particular DNA regions is now exploited by Biotechnologists to edit the genome of organisms of their interest. CRISPR can be used effectively to alter the genome of food crops to make them high yielding variety. Similarly CRISPR can be used to edit the genome of Blue Green Algae (cyanobacteria) to make biofuel. Controversies and ethical concerns crop up when we use such a technology to edit human embryo to enhance mental and physical capabilities, however on the flip side, CRISPR can be used to alter the genome of a human zygote with congenital diseases like sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis or hemophilia. Indian scientists also have adopted this technology to solve some of the compelling problems faced by Indians today. Dr. Debojyoti Chakraborty who is a geneticist at Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi, along with Dr. Souvik Maiti, a chemist is working on correcting the mutations at a genetic level of sickle cell anemia patients. Amitava Sengupta, a scientist at CSIR-IICB (Indian Institute of Chemical Biology), Kolkata says, “Gene or cell therapy is not science fiction any longer, given the success in autologous cell therapies, particularly for haematological disorders”. He researches hematological diseases using CRISPR technology as a primary tool. In the agricultural sector, Junagadh Agriculture University (JAU) is researching the possibilities of making cholesterol-free oil using CRISPR technology. The first study to be published regarding genome editing on food crop was done by a team of scientists at National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali. Their aim was to improve the nutritional quality of Rasthali banana variety. The team led by Dr. Siddharth Tiwari published the results in the journal Functional & Integrative Genomics. All of these provide a promising scenario for CRISPR Research in India. However, the ban on stem cell research for therapeutic purposes under the latest ICMR guidelines due to “rampant malpractice” is believed to stall the progress in CRISPR research. India needs to step up to upgrade it’s biotech as it shares 2% of the global biotech market and revise its policies to accommodate futuristic research in the upcoming years.
Tags: CRISPR, DNA, Gene Editing, India
