Bacterial Immune System Infographic
Chapter 1

Decoding the cellular crime scene

Chapter 2

Tricking the viral hijackers

Chapter 3

Hacking our own immune system

Chapter 4

Rewriting the code of life

Ch 4 · Rewriting the code of life
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007skaty Scientists use CRISPR gene editing to treat sickle cell disease

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007skaty Lipid Nanoparticles

Switch the charge, switch the charge, we release the code inside.

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The power to correct our own flaws requires the discipline to set our own limits.

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007skaty The delivery of therapeutic genes into human cells using engineered viruses.

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The bacterial immune system

007skaty First noticed in the 1980s, bacterial repeating DNA and Cas9 enzymes destroy viruses, a defense system scientists reverse engineered in 2012.

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Fixing the sickle cell twist

007skaty Gene editing fixes the single genetic mutation that deforms red blood cells.

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The off-target hazard
BETA

007skaty Steer your treatment carefully to learn how off-target hazards can ruin a cure.

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Fun Fact

CRISPR in space: In 2019, astronauts on the International Space Station successfully used CRISPR to study how DNA repairs itself in microgravity, a first for space science.

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Glossary
crispr (noun)
A genome-editing tool that allows scientists to make precise, targeted modifications to an organism's DNA. In 2020, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing this technology.

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Gossip

Would you want your future children's genes edited?

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Quiz

What was the original biological function of CRISPR-Cas9 before scientists reprogrammed it for gene editing?

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007skaty The risk of accidental DNA cuts during CRISPR gene editing.

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Quiz

Which two scientists shared the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their development of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing method?

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007skaty Bacteria use a natural immune system to fight off invading viruses.

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Quiz

What is the brand name of the very first CRISPR-based gene-editing therapy approved by the FDA in December 2023?

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Quiz

Which protein's production is boosted by the Casgevy gene-editing treatment to replace faulty adult hemoglobin?

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Quiz

How do scientists modernly test for off-target cuts in a patient's edited genome?

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Quiz

What is the term for unintended genetic cuts made by a gene-editing tool at locations other than the target gene?

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Quiz

Which type of harmless virus is most commonly engineered by scientists to deliver therapeutic genes into human cells?

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Quiz

What is the term for a virus that has been hollowed out and reprogrammed to carry healthy genetic material into a patient?

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