CRISPR

Sometimes Crispr

[kris-per]

noun

1. Biochemistry.,  a unique cluster of short, repeated DNA sequences found in bacterial genomes and capable of fighting viruses.

   CRISPR enables bacteria to integrate foreign DNA into their genome.

2. Genetics.,  the technology of targeting a DNA-detecting molecule to a specific genetic sequence for the purpose of editing a gene’s base pairs.

   The approach called CRISPR should speed up the process by allowing researchers to study the entire genome at once.

Word History and Origins

Origin of CRISPR¹

First recorded in 2000–05; acronym from C(lustered) R(egularly) I(nterspaced) S(hort) P(alindromic) R(epeats)

Example Sentences

Using the gene-editing tool CRISPR, the team increased the plant's production of one of its natural chemicals.

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To counter this, researchers used CRISPR/Cas9 to engineer lung cancer cells carrying the R34G mutation and then knocked out the NRF2 gene.

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Currently, cutting-edge gene-editing treatments are available for adults and children, including a breakthrough technology called Crispr that has been used to make changes in genetic code that causes diseases.

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Doctors reported this spring that an infant was successfully treated with a customized Crispr therapy for a rare and deadly metabolic disease.

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Harrington earned his doctorate in the lab of Jennifer Doudna, who shared the Nobel Prize in 2020 for her groundbreaking work on Crispr.

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