Scientists, including those of Indian origin, have generated a web-based software which can facilitate use of CRISPR methodology, allowing researchers to gain insights in to the cause of diseases and give suggestions on how they can be treated. A human has about 100 times as many cells in its body as there are people on earth.
Inside a vast majority of these cells are long chains of DNA which affect how different cells look and behave. CRISPR (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a research method that can be used to rapidly study how different portions of the DNA directly affect cells.
"We use the CRISPR methodology to study both immune cells and cancer cells. The goal is to develop new treatments for patients with diseases related to the immune system, such as arthritis, as well as cancer," said Fredrik Wermeling from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.
The new software called Green Listed, developed by researchers including Sudeepta Kumar Panda and Sanjay V Boddul from Karolinska Institutet simplifies work with the CRISPR-methodology.
The CRISPR method is based on a system that is found naturally in many bacteria and the method has received a lot of attention in the last few years. A very powerful way to use CRISPR is to study different parts of the DNA simultaneously. "Green Listed" is specifically used to facilitate this type of large-scale studies.
"By implementing the CRISPR methodology in our research, we can now explain phenomena we have tried to understand for several years," said Wermeling.
"This is primarily related to CRISPR screen experiments, where we in parallel modify a large number of selected parts of the DNA of isolated cells," said Wermeling.
"The Green Listed software simplifies this process considerably and has been very important for our progress," he said.
Wermeling suggests that a way to think about DNA is that it is similar to a cookbook which cells carry around inside of them.
"With the CRISPR method, we can quickly make such changes in individual isolated cells and thereby learn about the diseases we study," said Wermeling.
