CRISPR–Cas9: A History of Its Discovery and Ethical Considerations of Its Use in Genome Editing
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review and historical/ethical commentary with no primary empirical data.
OpenAlex W4291808634 · doi:10.1134/s0006297922080090
What was done
This paper presents a narrative review outlining the discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing system, its natural function as a prokaryotic defense mechanism against mobile genetic elements, its current applications in research, agriculture, diagnostics, and therapeutics, and the associated ethical challenges regarding human germline editing.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical or experimental data. It notes the award of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, describes the broad adoption of the system across model organisms and clinical applications, and highlights the scientific community's disapproval and calls for a moratorium following the editing of human embryos that resulted in live births.
Why it matters
The paper provides a concise historical and ethical synthesis of CRISPR-Cas9's rapid development from basic bacterial biology to high-stakes human genetic modification.
Limits
As a non-systematic narrative review, the paper presents no original empirical measurements, quantitative outcomes, or systematic literature search methodology.
Cited by
- supports Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier were awarded the Nobel Prize for discovering that CRISPR can be repurposed for targeted DNA cutting.