WHITE PAPER: Genome Editing and Biomanufacturing

The ability to decipher the information stored in genomes and precisely modify them will revolutionize many areas, including healthcare, agriculture, the environment and energy. Over the last few decades a tremendous amount of genomic information has accumulated, thanks to the Human Genome Project. To utilize the growing availability of genomewide data and increasingly powerful bioinformatics, it is necessary to develop equally powerful molecular tools to rapidly and precisely manipulate genomic content. With the recent development of engineered programmable nucleases such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins, transcription activator-like (Tal) effector nucleases (TALENs) and zincfinger nucleases (ZFNs) (Figure 1)1-6, we now have extremely efficient molecular scissors that can cut genomic DNA in cells at preselected locations.

The ability to decipher the information stored in genomes and precisely modify them will revolutionize many areas, including healthcare, agriculture, the environment and energy. Over the last few decades a tremendous amount of genomic information has accumulated, thanks to the Human Genome Project. To utilize the growing availability of genomewide data and increasingly powerful bioinformatics, it is necessary to develop equally powerful molecular tools to rapidly and precisely manipulate genomic content. With the recent development of engineered programmable nucleases such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins, transcription activator-like (Tal) effector nucleases (TALENs) and zincfinger nucleases (ZFNs) (Figure 1)1-6, we now have extremely efficient molecular scissors that can cut genomic DNA in cells at preselected locations.
 

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