Student     Alumni     Partners     Staff

CRISPR/Cas9 System The Pandora's Box of Gene Editing Technology

CRISPR/Cas9 System The Pandora's Box of Gene Editing Technology

In pop culture media such as comics or Hollywood blockbusters movies, we are exposed to so many DNA-altering stories. Naturally born with altering DNA like mutants in the X-men universe or Altering by accident and human-made like metahuman in the DC comics universe, The basic equation of the story is human DNA can be altered to a degree that gives human superpower. Is this wild sci-fi scenario can actually be realized in the real world? If it can do it ethical to alter or modify human DNA to a degree where we achieve “superpower-like” ability?

Gene Editing Technology

The emergence of gene editing technology has paved a new path in molecular genetic engineering or alteration, especially with the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR/Cas9) system.

Currently, the use of CRISPR in humans is purely therapeutic, fixing genetic mutations rather than creating them; however, such therapies are giving individuals abilities above those that the DNA they were born with gave them. They are becoming the first genetically modified humans; individuals whose DNA is being altered in order to improve their quality of life.

Example of Gen Technology

For example, organ transplant recipients Treatment for transplant patients is often rejected because the immune system of the transplant recipient attacks the donor organ, where the donor organ is considered an “invasive foreign object”. The next option is by giving immunosuppressive drugs. Where the new problem arises from the weakening of the donor recipient’s immune system caused by this drug, causing more severe effects such as infections and cancer. In an attempt to overcome these issues, Deuse, Schrepfer, and their team at UCSF created a universal iPSC, using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to alter three genes and make the cells ‘invisible’ to the immune system.

History of CRISPR Techniques

Though currently-used CRISPR techniques aren’t being utilized to enhance a healthy individual’s strength, they do have the potential to restore it to those who are lacking.

The Utilization of CRISPR/Cas9 become controversial and considered unethical when He Jiankui from the Southern University of Science and Technology (Shenzhen, China) and his research team used CRISPR technology to delete the CCR5 gene, with an overall aim of rendering the resultant offspring resistant to HIV, smallpox, and cholera. Jiankui and His team use The twin girls, born in November 2018, as their test subjects marking the start of germline edits where the effects of the CRISPR edits will not only affect their lives but also those of their future generations.

CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology needs further research until it is ready for use in humans. After 7 years of developing this technology, it’s still too early to be tested on humans.

The view of Jiankui’s work as reckless has led to the formation of a group of experts by the World Health Organization, tasked with setting out guidelines for future CRISPR studies and evaluating the ethics of its use.

It is undeniable that the use of CRISPR/Cas9 for medical purposes and improving the quality of human life is a noble goal. the application of CRISPR/Cas9 in the medical world for a much bigger purpose is also something we cannot avoid. After all, science is like Pandora’s box, once you open it, you can’t close it back and you unleashed unimaginable power out in the world, you can only hope the goodness of that power outweighs the bad.

Biomedicine Bachelor's Program

i3L School of Life Sciences

Biomedicine study program offered in i3L focuses on research and innovation that bridge the research on human health with drug development. 

Check Our Latest News

Post Views: 545

© 2022 Indonesia International Institute for Life Sciences. All rights reserved.