Ten years later Its discovery, the implications of Crispr genome editing are profound and far-reaching, and we are just getting started. This tool, adapted from the bacterial immune system, allows us to cut and edit the genetic code in any living cell to make highly targeted changes and repairs. A small number of people with genetic diseases have been helped by Crispr therapies, highlighting the potential impact on the lives of people with some 7,000 genetic diseases with known causes. Trials are underway for diseases ranging from diabetes to infectious diseases.
In 2023, we will begin to benefit from new Crispr-based solutions in other areas. For example, following initial clinical trial results, the first agricultural applications using Crispr have recently hit the market: the US Food and Drug Administration has approved family gene editing cattle to reproduce the lustrous coat sometimes found in the wild and to allow the cow to withstand increasing temperatures; Crispr-edited tomatoes, approved for sale in Japan, have enhanced nutritional qualities. In other crops, Crispr is being used experimentally to increase yields, reduce pesticide and water use, and protect against disease.
The next space for Crispr’s innovations will be climate change, the decisive battle of our time. In 2023, bold new efforts using Crispr to target climate change will begin.
First, the new research aims to reduce carbon emissions from agriculture. Agriculture is responsible for about a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, and these gases mainly come from microbes found in the soil, for example in rice fields or in the intestines of farm animals. This new research is focusing on how to use Crispr to edit these bacteria or change the composition of the microbial community to reduce or even eliminate greenhouse gas emissions.
Second, we’re looking to improve the inherent ability of plants and bacteria to capture carbon and store it in the soil. Plants “inhale” carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and use it for energy, but normally the carbon is returned to the atmosphere fairly quickly. New research aims to work with plants and soil microbes to not only capture carbon but store it in the soil for long periods of time, replacing some of the soil carbon that has been lost in large amounts since when modern agriculture was born.
Third, we are developing new ways to reduce farmer inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides that have a high carbon cost, as well as other environmental health costs. Crispr’s new research aims to modify food crops like rice so they can grow with less fertilizer. Crispr can be used to make plants resistant to common pathogens and pests, reducing the need for high-carbon chemical inputs.
Ultimately, we need ways to help agriculture cope with the extent to which climate change has already occurred or cannot be avoided. New research is using Crispr to design plants that can produce more food and other materials with less water and withstand extreme temperatures.
A lot of the attention around Crispr has been focused on medical applications, and for good reason: Promising results and uplifting personal stories, offering hope to many people with genetic diseases. tradition has long been forgotten. In 2023, as Crispr moves into agriculture and climate, we will have the opportunity to radically improve human health in a holistic way that can better protect our society and help millions of people. people in the developed world.
