The incredible and revolutionary development of a new technique called Crispr allows scientists to engineer any part of the human genome with extremely accurate precision. This development is being called a milestone in medical science because the technology has the capability to treat a range of diseases from cancer and AIDS, to inherited genetic disorders such as sickle-cell anaemia and Down syndrome. This means that scientists can effectively alter a human gene in such detailed precision and at any position on the 23 pairs of chromosomes on the DNA without making any mutations. Older methods

The technique is so accurate that scientists believe it will soon be used in gene-therapy trials on humans to treat incurable viruses such as HIV or currently untreatable genetic disorders such as Huntington’s disease. It might also be used controversially to correct gene defects in human IVF embryos, scientists said.

 

Read the full article from The Independent here!