What did Nobel win this time by manipulating DNA?
Nobel found for preparing DNA cutting scissors technology.
Jennifer A. Dodna and Emmanuel Charpentier are announcing the 2020 Nobel Prize. On 7 October, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was announced. This will be given for the Nobel genome editing technology. This year's Nobel of Chemistry will be shared between two people. This is the first time that two women scientists will share the Nobel Prize. Their names are -
1. Emmanuel Charpentier (France)
2. Jennifer Dodna (US)
Emanuel and Jennifer jointly discovered something that could easily replace DNA. The name of this technology is CRISPR-Cas9.
We will understand what is this? What have the Nobel laureates done? And what is the contraption about this technology?
What is CRISPR-Cas9?
This is genome editing technology. Genome means all the DNA within us. The total deposits that come out of the DNA inside us will be called genomes. Editing means tampering. Change the appearance of something. So CRISPR-Cas9 can replace our DNA. Not only ours, but of all beings. Because the foundation of every organism is DNA.
DNA is like an instruction manual in the body. As written in DNA, the body will become like that. Everything is decided with this instruction manual. What color will the eyes be? How strong will the muscles be? What will be the length of hairs? How many inches will the chest be? Etc.
You must have heard the gene. No not the denim jeans you wear, i am talking about the genes related with parents. The parts of DNA are called genes. Many of our features match their parents. This happens because of genes. Because many of our genes are similar to those of parents.
Our DNA is prepared from the DNA of the parents. Notice that our DNA and our father's DNA are not the same. Some parts of it are similar to genes.
Many times it happens that there is a mess while copying the DNA and the child is surrounded by disease. This is called genetic disease. If the messy part of the DNA is removed, the right thing replaced, then such diseases can be eliminated. This changing technology is CRISPR-Cas9.
The technology of gene editing was already there, but not so revolutionary.
Bacteria showed the way to this discovery.
The full name of CRISPR is - Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. It would not have been named. Let's ignore. And come to the main thing.
CRISPR technology came from a bacterium. We have a lot of bacteria around us and a lot of viruses. Bacteria and viruses fight among themselves a lot. During the fight, viruses try to insert their DNA into the bacteria. And bacteria oppose this thing.
This fight has been going on for millions of years. Bacteria have prepared their own immune systems to avoid viruses. CRISPR is a type of immune response found in some bacteria. It happens that whenever viruses put their DNA inside the bacteria, CRISPR breaks that DNA into pieces.
The CRISPR system present in bacteria breaks the DNA of the virus and memorizes it.
Part of this game is also a special protein, named Cas9. He is a type of killer killer type. Once it shows a photo of a piece of DNA, it cuts it down. Cas9 is also known as genetic scissors. That means DNA cutting scissors.
This system was made of bacteria. But we have used it for ourselves. With the help of this scissors, the unwanted part of the DNA can be cut, and the desired part can be applied. This proved to be an excellent genome editing technology for us.
Genome editing was taking place even before this. But CRISPR-Cas9 made genome editing fast, cheap and highly accurate.
The story of its discovery is very interesting.
Emanuel and Jennifer come from different places. She was also doing work differently. But together they discovered this CRISPR technology.
Emmanuel was working on a bacterium. The name of the bacterium Streptococcus Pyogenes. These bacteria cause skin infections in 700 million people every year. Emmanuel discovered an amazing thing in this bacteria. tracrRNA. And proved that this RNA was an important part of the CRISPR-Cas of that bacterium. He published his discovery in 2011.
In 2011, Emanuel met Jennifer. Jennifer Dodna is a very experienced biologist. And knew a lot about RNA. The two started working together. Both the teams got together from across the sea and did wonders within a year.
Jennifer and Emmanuel are the seventh and eighth female to receive a Nobel in chemistry.
In 2012, Emmanuelle and Jennifer brought the CRISPR-Cas9 to the world. Scientists started trying it and it was seen to be used in many places. In crops, such crops were made, which would remain in every difficult situation. New therapies were started for the treatment of cancer. And the dream of correcting genetic diseases began to be dreamed of.
This genetic scissor has given a new height to biology. But there are also questions about its morality.
What is the problem?
There was a ruckus about this technology when a case of China came to light. In 2018, a Chinese researcher made some changes to the genes of a human fetus. The result was that twins were born. This was the first time that the fate of human children has been changed through CRISPR. They were known as 'Design Babies'.
The concern is that by changing the genes, people will start producing the children they want. Someone must have long children. While someone's child is mighty. So someone smarter. How perfect is it to create a child's natural appearance before it is born?
Do let me know in the comments.
Comments
Post a Comment
What are your Views And Opinions And Helpful Suggestions?