Innovations can occur in all conceivable forms. While I like to present them here especially in the form of tools of digital transformation, new and innovative solutions find their way in all areas of our lives – including medicine and genetics. One development that will fundamentally change our world is CRISPR. CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and describes the sections of repeating DNA sequences. In the few years in which this forward-looking technology has been used, it has captivated physicians and researchers. But what is CRISPR and why should we care about this innoative development?
Simply put, CRISPR technology is a method of gene editing. It is therefore a simple and powerful tool for modifying and processing genomes. In this way, researchers can modify and modify DNA sequences to prevent genetic defects, reduce the spread of diseases or optimize crops, for example.
Of course, there are many ethical concerns that must be taken into account when describing this innovation. Films like Gattaca come to mind quickly, in which children could be “ordered” almost individually, but the technology has not yet come to that. Rather, gene technology offers a lot of potential to improve our lives. As a trend observer, futurist and innovation profiler, one cannot ignore this development.
How does CRISPR work?
CRISPR technology is inspired by the natural defence system of humans. Our body uses various proteins and substances to prevent attacks from viruses and foreign bodies. CRISR is based on these substances. The so-called Cas proteins are particularly relevant for innovation. What substances such as Cas9 essentially do is break down and eventually destroy the DNA of the foreign body. If this function is now transferred into a more complex organism, such as humans, it allows the editing of genomes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O360cFGDbfE
CRISPR Explained – Questions about CRISPR (Source: Question.)
More and more scientists, but also companies, are recognizing the potential of this technology. A glance at the stock market alone shows a massive increase in the stock values of companies dealing with the technology. However, the number of publications on this topic is also increasing every month. Through the intensive involvement of various research groups with the possibilities of gene editing, there are already interesting discoveries in the areas of HIV treatment, as well as in agar and food research.
It remains to be seen which areas of application the CRISPR technology will ultimately find. Until it finds its place in our scientific landscape, it will often be praised and demonised, but this is part of the introduction of a world-changing innovation. As with all developments, these can be both salvation and curse. In any case, experts already celebrate CRISPR as an elementary breakthrough in gene processing and call the technology the key to DNA. The future will show what will become of this microtrend.
