CRISPR

American  

[kris-per] / ˈkrɪs pər /

Sometimes Crispr

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.

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Etymology

Origin of CRISPR

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.

From Science Daily

The approach is more precise, and possibly safer, than disrupting a gene with CRISPR, the gene editing tool from which base editing is derived.

From Science Magazine

By now you have probably heard of CRISPR, the gene-editing tool which enables researchers to replace and alter segments of DNA.

From Science Daily

Published Nov. 30 in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, the work reveals that the mechanisms that cause the disease could be addressed and potentially cured through the genome-editing technique CRISPR.

From Science Daily

If he thought his return to the laboratory would be a placid coda to his career, he was soon proved wrong, by yet another advance in genetic engineering, this one called CRISPR.

From Los Angeles Times