CRISPR Gene Editing

CRISPR-Cas9 is a revolutionary genome editing tool that allows precise modification of DNA sequences in living organisms, with applications spanning medicine, agriculture, and basic research.

intermediate8 min read1,850 wordsReviewed 2025-08-01Revision 3

Contributors

Priya Nair (National Institute of Oncology)

Genetics Biomedical Engineering

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Key Terms

Guide RNA (gRNA): A short synthetic RNA composed of a scaffold for Cas9 binding and a user-designed spacer of approximately 20 nucleotides that defines the genomic target.
Cas9: CRISPR-associated protein 9, an endonuclease that creates double-strand breaks in DNA at sites specified by the guide RNA.
PAM sequence: Protospacer Adjacent Motif — a short DNA sequence (typically NGG for SpCas9) required immediately downstream of the target for Cas9 recognition.
Guide RNA (gRNA): A short synthetic RNA composed of a scaffold for Cas9 binding and a user-designed spacer of approximately 20 nucleotides that defines the genomic target.
Cas9: CRISPR-associated protein 9, an endonuclease that creates double-strand breaks in DNA at sites specified by the guide RNA.
PAM sequence: Protospacer Adjacent Motif — a short DNA sequence (typically NGG for SpCas9) required immediately downstream of the target for Cas9 recognition.

Immunotherapy(see also)
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