New Technique for Genetic Control of Mosquitoes

摘要

Gene-editing techniques involve cutting genes at specific sites in the DNA of an embryo in order to disrupt those genes' function or insert other genes. The CRISPR-Cas9 makes artificial gene-editing much easier and cheaper, enabling scientist to target specific bits of DNA. As a result, CRISPR gene-editing is widely used, heralding advances in biomedicine such as cancer treatments and protecting individuals from infections. The CPISPR-Cas9 system uses enzymes that can cut specific gene sequences from DNA, guided by a similar molecule known as RNA. Natural gene repair mechanisms then take over and can be used to disrupt the function of the original gene or replace it with a completely different one.