Question

List, explain and debate 5 pros and cons (5 for each) of using CRISPR technology to edit human genetic material:

Answer 1

Answer- CRISPR technology is basically originated from the study of immune defense mechanism of bacteria. It have following pros and cons-

Pros associated with this technique-

• It is a efficient gene editing technique used for curing genetic diseases.
• It can be used for treatment of many viral diseases.
• CRISPR-Cas9 editing is a relatively inexpensive way of deleting, silencing or otherwise modifying a gene or region.
• It is an efficient technique which can be used for crop improvement.
• Once the protocol for this technique is running, then it is really simple to change that setup in order to target alternative genomic regions for editing.
• Number of research papers are published on this technique.

Cons of this technique-

• It requires considerable investment of time.
• Genome editing efficiency can be influenced by many factors which can severely hamper our efforts in any genome editing experiment.
• Sometimes gene editing may lead to undesirable side effects which were previously unknown.
• Everything in this technique is to be done very precisely because even a small mistake can lead to major consequences. Because a small mistake may lead to disruption of functions of some crucial genes.
• A systematic investigation of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in mouse and human cells has discovered that the technique appears to frequently cause extensive mutations and genetic damage that the researchers say wouldn't be detected by existing DNA tests.