Biotech in the news: Is CRISPR the Next Antibiotic?

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An article in the Health section of the New York Times earlier this week does a nice job detailing some of the healthcare applications of CRISPR technology.

For decades antibiotics and antivirals were the most widely deployed treatment option – when you came down with an infection you got a prescription for a broad-spectrum antibiotic, a “blunt therapy” tool that would kill good bacteria along with those that might be causing your illness. But as bacteria and viruses have quickly evolved and developed antibiotic resistant and antiviral resistant properties scientists and researchers have been looking for new ways to stop the spread of pathogenic microorganisms. And the need is urgent: the UN estimates that by 2050 over 10 million people worldwide could die from treatment resistant viruses and bacteria.

They are now turning to CRISPR. The Times summarizes CRISPR as “a specialized region of DNA that creates what amount to genetic scissors — enzymes that allow the cell (or a scientist) to precisely edit other DNA or its sister molecule, RNA…. Crispr was originally discovered in bacteria, where it helps keep track of past injury. When a virus attacks, the bacterium stores small chunks of the viral genome within its own DNA. This helps the bacterium recognize viral infections when they occur again. Then, using Crispr-associated enzymes, it can disarm the virus and prevent the infection from spreading.”

A team of scientists lead by Dr. David Edgell at the University of Western Ontario recently used a CRISPR enzyme called Cas9 to target Salmonella bacteria, destroying it while leaving other, non-harmful gut bacteria intact. In other words, rather than a scorched-earth blunt therapy, CRISPR attacked only the malicious bacteria, like an antibiotic smart-bomb. What’s more, as this type of treatment is developed scientists may learn how to use CRISPR to train gut bacteria and other resident microbes to prevent disease.

CRISPR can also be used to target pathogenic viruses, as demonstrated by scientists at the Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard. They used a different Crispr enzyme, Cas13, to detect and kill three different single-stranded RNA viruses that infect human cells: influenza A virus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus and vesicular stomatitis virus.

And even more intriguing is the idea that bacteria and viruses won’t become CRISPR resistant: if a virus or bacteria evolves, the CRISPR system can simply be updated to match whatever changes the organism has made.

With most of these CRISPR antivirals and antibiotics still in proof-of-concept phase treatments won’t be landing on store shelves anytime in immediate future. But still – exciting news about a very promising new technology.

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