Scientists from the University of Tokyo have managed to film the genetic engineering technique CRISPR-Cas9 in full action. CRISPR-Cas9 is used to edit potentially dangerous genetic material.
To prevent disease.
How does CRISPR-Cas9 work?
This technique searches for a particular gene sequence in genetic material.
The DNA strand goes in and out of CRISPR-Cas9 very quickly until it hits the sequence it needs to edit. In the video you can see how CRISPR-Cas9 cuts this kind of thread , to proceed to edit the piece between the two ends of the genetic material.
The video shows how scientists successfully edited human embryos, removing a segment of DNA that can cause coronary heart disease. The images were recorded thanks to a technique called high-speed atomic force microscopy.
