CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing
Humanity learns how to program its own source code.
Explore this event on the interactive timeline →Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier published a landmark paper proving that the bacterial CRISPR-Cas9 immune system could be reprogrammed as a "molecular scissor" to edit any specific DNA sequence in a living organism.
Key Numbers
- Biological Control (Pre-2012)
- Read-Only (Sequencing)
- Biological Control (Post-2012)
- Read/Write (Editing)
Verified Facts
- The Human Genome Project (2003) allowed us to "read" our DNA, but CRISPR gave us the ability to "write" and "edit" it with unprecedented precision and cheapness.
- It works by using a small piece of guide RNA to find a specific target sequence in the DNA, and the Cas9 enzyme acts as a pair of scissors to cut the DNA at that exact location.
- This shifted biology permanently into the realm of information technology, leading to the first FDA-approved CRISPR therapies curing genetic diseases like sickle cell anemia.