Exploring DNA: the code of life

DNA is the origin of human life. DNA, RNA and proteins are the three most important molecules in an organism and are the repair mechanisms that stabilize life and keep the body growing and functioning.

Scientists are constantly researching how to alter gene sequences to avoid the regrets caused by genetic mutations. Jennifer A. Doudna, an American biochemist, and Emmanuelle Charpentier, a French microbiologist, first in 2011 transformed the concept of genome editing from theory to applied technology. In 2015, Time Magazine named them among the 100 most influential people of the year, and in 2020, they won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their invention of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technique.

Deciphering DNA

Originally an immune system in bacteria in nature, CRISPR locks on to invading viruses and shreds their DNA, modifying the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with great precision. This technique is widely used in crop improvement and in research for the treatment of genetic disorders, and has also led to emerging cancer therapies, which have revolutionized life sciences.

Despite some room for improvement in the accuracy of CRISPR for human DNA and many ethical controversies and technical bottlenecks, genetic mutation-induced diseases, which in the past required lifelong medication or even were beyond cure, are gradually seeing breakthroughs in the context of gene editing, where doctors and academics are working together to bring new hope for a cure for humanity.