CRISPR-Cas9 is hot but it’s not the only way to edit a genome

David Warmflash | October 28, 2016 | Genetic Literacy Project

It has earned fleeting mentions in TV biothrillers, such as Orphan Black (BBC America) and The Last Ship (TNT), but now CRISPR genome editing is getting a sci-fi show of its own. Though actually an acronym for a biological term that most sci-fi fans will have no use to remember, “CRISPR” makes it a catchy title for the new bioterror thriller that actress-singer Jennifer Lopez is producing for NBC.

Imagine a TV series named ‘ELISA,’ ‘Northern blot,’ ‘PCR,’ or some other biological assay and you’ll realize how precisely nerdy this is, but it may be premature. The series is only in the developmental stages, after all. But the fact that a major network is considering naming a show after CRISPR is shows that it is generating a lot of buzz. Why? Researchers working with CRISPR are on the brink of acheiving a number of major breakthroughs in science and medicine......To Read More....