CRISPR's next advance is bigger than you think | Jennifer Doudna
Sep 26, 2023
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Jennifer Doudna, Nobel Prize winner in CRISPR gene editing, discusses the next frontier of CRISPR technology - precision microbiome editing. She explains how her team is using CRISPR to solve problems like asthma, Alzheimer's, and climate change by editing genes in microbiomes. They aim to reduce methane emissions, improve food production, and treat diseases linked to the gut microbiome through collaboration with nature.
CRISPR's next advance focuses on precision microbiome editing to address global challenges like climate change and human health.
Precision microbiome editing offers transformative solutions for agriculture and human health by harnessing the power of CRISPR and microbiomes.
Deep dives
CRISPR: A Revolutionary Tool for Editing Genes
CRISPR is a revolutionary technology that allows precise editing of genes in living organisms. Developed from the study of bacteria fighting viral infections, CRISPR functions like a word processor, enabling the removal, replacement, or alteration of specific genes. It has already demonstrated success in curing diseases like sickle cell anemia and developing hardy crops. The next frontier for CRISPR lies in the editing of entire microbial communities called microbiomes. Dysfunctional microbiomes are linked to diverse diseases and contribute to climate change through methane emissions. CRISPR, coupled with metagenomics technology, offers the possibility of precision microbiome editing, creating transformative solutions for human health and the planet.
Precision Microbiome Editing: A Tool to Solve Real-World Problems
Precision microbiome editing, a field combining metagenomics and CRISPR, presents solutions for pressing global challenges. In agriculture, precision editing of livestock microbiomes can significantly reduce methane emissions, benefiting both the environment and farmers' efficiency. For human health, precision microbiome editing holds promise in addressing conditions such as asthma, obesity, diabetes, and Alzheimer's. By identifying and modifying molecules produced by gut microbiomes, non-invasive therapies can be developed. The collaboration between CRISPR and the natural world allows for the creation of a more resilient future by harnessing the power of microbiomes.
You've probably heard of CRISPR, the revolutionary technology that allows us to edit the DNA in living organisms. Biochemist and 2023 Audacious Project grantee Jennifer Doudna earned the Nobel Prize for her groundbreaking work in this field -- and now she's here to tell us about its next world-changing advancement. She explains how her team at the Innovative Genomics Institute is pioneering a brand new field of science -- precision microbiome editing -- that uses CRISPR in an effort to solve seemingly insurmountable problems like asthma, Alzheimer's and climate change. This ambitious idea is part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.