Discovery, Development, and Cures - The CRISPR Saga

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You may think that the CRISPR-Cas genome engineering tool was developed from simple human ingenuity. And while its development certainly involved ingenuity, CRISPR was birthed in the wild. As a product of nature, it has an essential function in its native host; spoilers: its natural function involves defending its host from attacks. From the initial discovery in nature to its adoption as a gene therapy tool it took decades of twists and turns, ups, downs, and yes, ins and outs too. 

In this episode of We Love Science Podcast, Fatu and Shekerah welcome special guest, Irina Gostimskaya, as the CRISPR Chronicles continues. Together, we take a CRISPR walk through history, discussing the men and women who made it possible to bring CRISPR therapies to the world through their curiosity, perseverance, and a sprinkle of good and bad luck.

Tune in to the episode to learn about:

·        The cliffhanger that showed the world the first CRISPR sequence 

·        The real purpose of CRISPR in the wild 

·        How scientists assembled the puzzle pieces to use CRISPR for Gene editing 

·        The CRISPR patent dispute

·        Bonus Food Science Content: Learn all about Russian cuisine

For more information on this topic, visit our website: WeLoveSciencePodcast.com

Reach out to Irina: [email protected]

Read Irina’s excellent CRISPR review article: CRISPR–Cas9: A History of Its Discovery and Ethical Considerations of Its Use in Genome Editing. Biochemistry Moscow 87, 777–788 (2022).

If you enjoyed this episode you will also enjoy hearing about:

Reach out to Fatu:
www.linkedin.com/in/fatubm
Twitter: @thee_fatu_b
and [email protected]

Reach out to Shekerah:
www.linkedin.com/in/shekerah-primus
and [email protected]

Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoor
Music from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic