Esther Lujan

October 19, 2017

RWS 1301

References

Cyranoski, D. (2016, November). CRISPR gene-editing tested in a person for the first time.

Nature, 539 (7630), 479-479. Retrieved from http://www.nature.com/news/crispr-gene-

editing-tested-in-a-person-for-the-first-time-1.20988

Chinese scientists have injected the first person with genetically modified by using

CRISPR-Cas9. The patient has lung cancer and scientists expect to have the genetically

modified cells to attack the patients cancer cells. Scientists from China also plan to run

more trials with other patients with different types of cancer. Scientists from the United

States believe they could have a competition in using CRISPR with China. This article

will be used to show how medical advancements are already are planning to take course

by using CRISPR-Cas9.

Webber, B. L., Raghu, S., & Edwards, O. R. (2015, August). Opinion: Is CRISPR-based gene

drive a biocontrol silver bullet or global conservation threat? Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences, 112 (34), 10565-10567. Retrieved from

http://www.pnas.org/content/112/34/10565.full.

This report cautions about the dangers in using CRISPR while also telling their audience

the positive effects it could give. The articles authors warn us that one small change

could have the potential to take down a whole species, also it could consequently cause a

major change in the environment. The authors tell us about how we should use past

genetic modification technologies to help see how we should use CRISPR, understanding

it and possible consequences. CRISPRs biosecurity comes into question and the article
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states that scientists should carefully consider all the aspects that CRISPR will bring

forth. I will use this article to show variation in the possible consequences CRISPR could

bring.

Wu, Y., Liang, D., Wang, Y., Bai, M., Tang, W., Bao, S., Zhiqiang, . . . Li, J. (2013, December).

Correction of a Genetic Disease in Mouse via Use of CRISPR-Cas9. Cell Stem Cell, 13

(6), 659-662. Retrieved from http://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-

5909(13)00462-1.

The authors of this report made a study on whether CRISPRCas9 could be used to

correct a genetic disease. They chose to study mice that had a Crygc gene mutation and

explained that this is the mutation that causes cataracts in the mice. These scientists first

used CRISPR to delete a gene and then used a corrective allele. The results were that a

certain number of mice no longer had cataracts after this process. Scientist then

concluded the CRISPR-Cas9 system essentially cured the mice. They reported that there

were some off-targets in some mice and that the corrective allele was heritable. I will

mention this report to talk about how scientists are already beginning to use CRISPR in

organisms to cure genetic diseases.

Paul, J. W., and Qi, Y. (2016, April). CRISPR/Cas9 for plant genome editing: accomplishments,

problems and prospects. Plant Cell Reports, 35 (7), 14171427. Retrieved from

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00299-016-1985-z

This article talks about how scientist use CRISPR to observe plants at a molecular level.

They explain that by using CRISPR, it can help them understand a plants biology and
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expand their biotechnology for plants and eukaryotes. The authors go into further depth

on what specific differences CRISPR has with other types of genetic modification

technologies. I will use this article to help explain that CRISPR is not limited to humans

or animals, but it can be applied to plants as well and can open even further horizons for

genetic modification.

Ledford, H. (2015, June). CRISPR, the disruptor. Nature, 522 (7554), 20-24. Retrieved from

https://www.nature.com/news/crispr-the-disruptor-1.17673

The article tells us some history behind CRISPR, and who it affected and who it will

affect. Since this new technology provides a cheaper and more efficient technique,

patents and research has increased significantly. The article then describes the types of

research that scientists are currently studying such as research with crops, livestock, the

environment and diseases. One of the major concerns that scientists are inquiring is

CRISPRs safety and its consequences. This article will be used to help explain in more

depth about how CRISPR is used in research and how scientists are questioning its ethics

and safety.

Hsu, P., Lander, E., & Zhang, F. (2014, June). Development and applications of CRISPR-Cas9

for genome engineering. Cell, 157 (6), 1262-1278. Retrieved from

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2014.05.010

The authors explain in this article that the new technique in genetically modifying

organisms can be observed in the sequence in DNA. They go in depth of where CRISPR

works and specifics on how. The authors also show what applications it may be used in,
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whether in biomedical areas, basic biology or even greater areas. They show us what kind

of organism may be used with CRISPR. The enzyme Cas9 is explained even further and

its relativity to CRISPR. I will use this article to further explain the functions of CRISPR.

Sternberg, S., & Doudna, J. (2015, May). Expanding the biologists toolkit with CRISPR-Cas9.

Molecular Cell, 58 (4), 568-574. Retrieved from

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2015.02.032

The article starts off by briefly talking about how CRISPR was discovered and its history.

It also explains how CRISPR works and its function regarding RNA. The authors write

about how research has found new purposes and functions for CRISPR. It also shows

what off- target effects it has and what it means for the future. It concludes with

possibilities for using CRISPR for the future. I will be using this article to talk about

CRISPRs history and its possible applications.

Cyranoski, D., & Reardon, S. (2015, April). Embryo editing sparks epic debate. Nature, 520

(7549), 593-595. Retrieved from: https://www.nature.com/news/embryo-editing-sparks-

epic-debate-1.17421

The research that the scientists in China did with editing embryos with CRISPR caused

an ascending amount of concerns, mostly ethical. Other concerns are addressed such as

the safety, method and use of gene editing in humans. The article explains the biological

problems the scientists faced when using CRISPR on the non-viable embryos and showed

opposing opinions of some scientists based on this research. The author then notes

predictions on future steps based on human genetic modification. This article will help
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describe what concerns there can be based on the genetic modification with CRISPR on

humans.