How 2020 Was the Turning Point for CRISPR
Scientists took huge strides toward using the gene-editing tool for medical treatments
By Emily Mullin for Medium Image: Arek Socha at Pixabay
The idea behind CRISPR-based medicine sounds simple: By tweaking a disease-causing gene, a disease could be treated at its source — and possibly even cured.
The other allure of gene editing for medical reasons is its permanence.
Instead of a lifetime of drugs, patients with rare and chronic diseases like muscular dystrophy or cystic fibrosis could instead get a one-time treatment that could have benefits for life.
Among other things, CRISPR was used to edit genes inside a person for the first time.
