Independent Learning Log 3 by Saffron Lim

Date:

06/06/16

Source:

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36439260

What I did:

I went to BBC to look for some interesting articles to read and I came across an article on how a gene editing technique could transform the future.

What I learnt:

1. CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, pronounced as ‘crisper’) is a biological system for altering DNA.
2. When a bacterium comes under attack it produces a piece of genetic material that matches the genetic sequence of the invading virus. This piece of material in tandem with a key protein called Cas9 can then lock on to the DNA of the virus, break it and disable it. Scientists are now able to deploy the same process to insert, delete or repair DNA.
3. Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA10), is a rare retinal disease that causes blindness. The gene mutation causes the gradual loss of photoreceptor cells in the eye.

Summary:

This article is about CRISPR, gene editing and the ethical concerns of gene editing.