A much talked about recent technology has been CRISPR. What can be a better way than using this cutting edge technology in the pandemic. The Covid-Gyan website has articles discussing the CRISPR-CAS-9 technology in two of its resources – antibody testing, possible alternate therauptic strategy.
India’s indigenously developed antibody test to detect COVID-19 infection is based on CRISPR-CAS-9 technology. A cutting-edge technology that can recognize specific genetic sequences, target and identify genomic sequence of the novel coronavirus in suspected individuals, cutting them in short time.
A brief mention of this test is available on the resource:
While at most a-proof-of-concept mention of CRISPR based technology being explored for alternative theraupetic strategy to fight novel coronavirus, is avilable from this resource:
The CRISPR can degrade RNA of the virus, and limit the replication of virus thereby inhibiting it inside the epithelial cells of the human lung that was cultured in lab.
It will be interesting to learn and discuss the CRISPR technology at the molecular level and its mechanisms. While learning about it, I felt it acts as a trojan horse …
oh! good that you asked this! meanwhile just sending a link from wikipedia so that you can understand this first. and then I shall discuss why I felt the CRISPR is like a trojan horse
Any bacterial cell can be invaded by viruses. To fight off the attack, bacteria can destroy the genome of invading virus by its own immune system called CRISPR. The CRISPR repeats are found in bacteria’s DNA, which are copies of small pieces of virus. The bacterial CRISPRs short DNA repeats are interspersed by short sequences called spacers, which are derived from viral DNA from a previous attack. The CRISPR repeats and spacers in the bacterial DNA gets transcribed into RNA. Its chain are cut into short pieces called CRISPR RNAs. These CRISPR RNAs (aka guide RNA or gRNA), guide bacteria’s molecule machinery to destroy viral material.
These spacers serve as genetic memory of previous infections (similar to functioning of a vaccine). So if the bacteria is infected by the same virus again, the CRISPR serves as a defence system (much like working of vaccine in our body), will cut the viral DNA that matches the spacer sequence. The CAS9 enzyme acts as with the molecular scissors, by which bacteria fights and cuts off the viral DNA.
This is a virus-fighting system, and can be developed in lab. This tool can be programmed and inserted in the cell for repair mechanisms…
CRISPR-Cas9 was adapted from a naturally occurring genome editing system in bacteria. The bacteria capture snippets of DNA from invading viruses and use them to create DNA segments known as CRISPR arrays. The CRISPR arrays allow the bacteria to “remember” the viruses (or closely related ones). If the viruses attack again, the bacteria produce RNA segments from the CRISPR arrays to target the viruses’ DNA. The bacteria then use Cas9 or a similar enzyme to cut the DNA apart, which disables the virus.
