Symposium: “Genome Editing: CRISPR-CAS”
The Center for Research and Development on Health Sciences (CIDICS) was the venue for the Symposium “Genome Editing: CRISPR-CAS”. The main topic was the technical applications of CRISPR on Health, Livestock, Agronomic, and Economic areas.
LBG David Giovanni Juárez Guzmán, account manager of MERCK Group; PhD Alejandro Del Bosque González in representation of the Head of the Agronomy School; MD Dora Elia Cortes Hernández, Coordinator of CIDICS; and PhD Marlene Ortiz-Berrocal, Technical Coordinator of the Biotechnologists and Genomics Mexican Association were present at the Symposium.
CRISP/CAS technology is a molecular tool used to edit or fix genomes of any cell, including human cells.
This ability to cut DNA is what allows modifying its sequence, discarding or adding new DNA.
The possibilities are endless. CRISPR/CAS technology open a new era of genetic engineering were we can edit, fix, or modify the genome of any cell on an easy, cheap, fast, and highly precise manner.
This technology will be useful as genic therapy to cure disease which genetic cause is known and that are incurable, to this day. Currently, this technology is being worked on diseases like Huntington Disease or Sickle Cell Disease.
Aside from the sanitary implication, it can be used to improve transgenic foods, like developing new variations of plants and animals with specific genetic characteristics, modifying bacteria and other microorganisms that pose an industrial or nutritional use.
PhD Claudia Badillo started the symposium presenting her lecture titled “CRISPR-CAS and Genome editing”. Following up virtually, a conference on Genome Editing Applications on Livestock was held by Dr. Med. Vet Björn Petersen, Institute of Farm Animal Genetics; Friedrich Loeffler Institut, Neustadt am Rübenberge, Germany.
MD Jorge Meléndez of the INMEGEN (National Institute of Genomic Medicine), Mexico, presented a lecture on Application of Genome Editing on the Health sector.
PhD Shui-zhang Fei, of the Iowa State University, spoke of Genome Editing Applications of the Agricultural Sector; to then continue with a lecture on Implementation of genome edited products on Latin American Agricultural Sectors, held by Engineer Juan Kiekebusch, of the Seed Association of the Americas.
To end the Symposium on Genome Editing CRISPR-CAS, a discussion table took place where MD Meléndez, PhD Shui-Zhang, and Engineer Juan Kiekebusch participated.
Currently this is state-of-the-art technology; there are only a few laboratories in our country that are specialized on this methodology.