Q. What does CRISPR stand for?- Published on 14 Sep 15a. Clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats
b. Clustered, closely interspaced, short palindromic repeats
c. Clustered, regularly interspaced, short pulmonary repeats
d. None of the above
ANSWER: Clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats
CRIPR is a gene editing technique for human embryo modification. Developed by Sun Yat sen University in Guangzhou, this gene editing technology was used to edit 86 single cell embryos from fertility clinics. The gene editing tool can provide humans with the power to edit, add, replace, delete, activate or suppress specific genes. This can lead to editing of disease causing mutated genes and trait determining genes. CRISPR is used as a site specific DNA scissor where RNA is created for unzipping DNA strand which is then lodged in protein called Cas9 and the complex then chip away the DNA. The debate centers around whether CRISPR should be allowed because it can be used for editing germline or pluripotent stem cells.
