A study that analyzed changes to human cells undergoing CRISPR gene editing has revealed that unintended chromosomal alterations occurred during the genetic modification process.
“Here we performed a phenotypic CRISPR–Cas9 scan targeting 17,065 genes in primary human cells, revealing a ‘proximity bias’ in which CRISPR knockouts show unexpected similarities to unrelated genes on the same chromosome arm,” the study said in the ‘Abstract’ section. “This bias was found to be consistent across cell types, laboratories, Cas9 delivery methods and assay modalities, and the data suggest that it is caused by telomeric truncations of chromosome arms, with cell cycle and apoptotic pathways playing a mediating role.”
In other words, after the genetic modification procedure was preformed (a procedure that targeted specific genes) it was discovered that unrelated (non-target) genes on the same chromosome arm were affected as well.
CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a biological mechanism originally discovered in bacteria, which it uses as a defense system. It was utilized as the basis for a novel genetic modification technology by the same name. It is sometimes referred to as ‘gene scissors’ as the technology edits genes in a method often thought similar to snipping paper with scissors.
“CRISPR contains “spacers” — sequences of DNA left over from unfriendly viruses or other entities — as well as repeating sections of genetic material. Those sequences provide acquired immunity, and form the building blocks of the gene editing system or process. It creates a sort of blueprint that allows enzymes in genetic material to make changes to sequences of DNA in living cells,” The Cleveland Clinic said. “One of the best-known enzymes used for this purpose is called Cas9, which is why you’ll sometimes hear people talk about CRISPR-Cas9. You can think of the underlying mechanism of CRISPR gene editing as being similar to the way magnetic shapes are drawn to each other or the way Lego blocks fit together. The segments in CRISPR are transcribed into RNA. This RNA includes a guide sequence, which is a match to existing DNA in a person’s body.”
The researchers discussed how CRISPR technology can alter genetic structures, although work has yet been put into discovering how these changes combine holistically to affect the life form as a whole.
“…recent studies have shown that it can have unintended effects such as structural changes. However, these studies have not yet looked genome wide or across data types,” the study said in the ‘Abstract’ section.
Notably, the implication of these findings may spell danger for the GMO food market, as foods that are modified may begin to exhibit harmful characteristics not originally intended by the big agricultural and biotechnology companies.
“According to the study, major structural changes in chromosomes occur much more frequently in the genomic regions targeted by the “gene scissors” than would otherwise be the case. These results also have implications for the risk assessment of plants obtained from new genetic engineering, TestBiotech reported,” The Defender said. “According to the European Union Commission and the European Food Safety Authority, unintentional genetic changes resulting from the use of CRISPR/Cas “gene scissors” are no different from random mutations. However, a new method of data evaluation shows that this assumption is wrong. The use of CRISPR/Cas completely interrupts the double DNA strand, thus causing some of the chromosomes to be temporarily separated from the main section.”
Risks of GMO crops have been widely exposed by Alex Jones for decades.
