In the last few years, you may have heard the term “CRISPR” –
pronounced ‘crisper’ – pop up a few times. But what exactly is CRISPR, and why
is it so important?
Well, in order to answer that, let’s first pay a quick visit to 2012. That was the year that
Jennifer Doudna – a professor of molecular biology at the University of
California, Berkeley – and her team characterized the activity of what’s now
known as CRISPR-cas9. The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic
Repeats (CRISPR) technology and CRISPR Associated System (cas) was first
discovered in bacteria as a defense against foreign viruses and DNA.
Eventually, its use progressed into eukaryotic cells for purposes of
modification, as the technology was adapted by the Broad Institute for genetic
engineering. So how is this accomplished? Basically, CRISPR-cas9 consists of two main parts: the cas9
enzyme, which is capable of cutting DNA at specific locations within the genome
– think of pair of molecular scissors – and guide RNA that can allow CRISPR to
cut precisely at the right point. Together, this means that we are theoretically capable of editing genetic information at the source
The technology itself is widely applicable, and one of its
pressing applications is its use in agriculture, where the bold potential of
this genetic engineering, combined with improvements in policy, offers a
promising outlook for the future. Think of engineered drought resistant crops
or disease resistant wheat or livestock immune from swine flu or better
nutrition. CRISPR edited crops are an example of what has come to be known by
some as “genome-edited crops,” which represent a shift away from the
traditional genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. For a detailed description
of the differences between the two, as well as some extraneous information,
take a look at this article here: http://www.businessinsider.com/difference-between-genetically-edited-crops-and-gmos-2016-2
Two more interesting articles to consider regarding the relevance of CRISPR in agriculture: https://ensia.com/voices/crispr-is-coming-to-agriculture-with-big-implications-for-food-farmers-consumers-and-nature/
and http://www.aldevron.com/blog/agricultural-crispr-cas9-0617
Of course, this is by no means the holy grail to the problem
of sustainable and productive agriculture, and not all applications of CRISPR
will bring about positive change. As you all continue your research, I encourage
you to not limit yourselves to just this idea, but rather, explore different
research areas and scientific progress as a whole. However, the prevalence of
CRISPR within the scientific community does draw focus to the use of genetic
engineering and modern biotechnology, in addition to sustainable agricultural
practices, in improving crop productivity and quality.
Some interesting questions to consider include: 1) what is
the current status of the use of CRISPR in agriculture, and what might change
in the future? 2) Are genome-edited crops safe, and if so, how do we overcome
the stigmas associated with GMOs? 3) What are some regulatory frameworks we
need to consider with this new technology? 4) Where does your country stand on
CRISPR and what policies have they implemented?
If you’re interested, an article published in Nature proposes a “regulatory framework
for genome-edited crops,” but the article is pretty dense, so don’t feel
obligated at all to read it. https://www.nature.com/articles/ng.3484.pdf?origin=ppub
The delegation of New Zealand acknowledges that CRISPR is a revolutionary technological advance that could be used to engineer crops and dramatically increase food production. In addition, this technology could potentially be used to create crops that are resistant to the effects of climate change. However, New Zealand believes that UNESCO should be particularly careful regarding this new technology. Although it may seem that only one gene is being altered, a slight genetic change can have innumerable effects and repercussions that can potentially be devastating to biodiversity or the human population.
ReplyDeleteNew Zealand has been extremely cautious with the use of GM techniques and crops and has strict regulations on GMOs. Currently, New Zealand does not produce any genetically modified crops. New Zealand has also faced the option of using CRISPR to eradicate predatory invasive species, but has chosen not to use it.
We look forward to further discussing this issue in committee!
The Republic of Chile agrees with the use of CRISPR and is currently working to understand this technology in relation to salom genome but it does require a strong background in molecular issues. According to the www.yourgenome.com website linked in the blog it stated that the use of CRISPR-Cas9 is “fastest, cheapest, and most reliable system for ‘editing’ genes.” Chile agrees with it and the use of this technology seeing as the world population is predicted to grow between 7.2 billion to 10.6 billion by 2050. CRISPR will allow food to withstand harsh climate changes and for food to be sustained for future generations.
ReplyDeleteThe Republic of Germany recognizes the scientific developments within the agricultural industry, such as CRISP. Genome edited crops bring up a multitude of political, social, and economic aspects that must be addressed, so as the delegation of Germany, a nation at the forefront of agricultural sustainability and safety as one of Europe’s largest agricultural importers and exporters, we believe that addressing these specific issues is imperative in creating not only long term sustainable development within all nations, but is crucial in planting and maintaining the seeds of food security.
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