Genome Editing and CRISPR Technology

Genome editing has revolutionized the life sciences by providing scientists with an efficient means for introducing targeted modifications into DNA. Driving these advances are programmable nucleases, which stimulate gene editing by inducing targeted DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) that in turn activate cellular DNA repair pathways that can mediate the introduction of specific edits. For most genome engineers, technologies derived from naturally occurring CRISPR systems have become the platform of choice as CRISPR is highly versatile and efficient. In this article, we introduce CRISPR technology, describe how it is used to edit DNA and discuss its most common applications.