Current Applications and Future Perspective of CRISPR/Cas9 in the Diagnosis and Treatment of COVID 19: A Review

Abstract

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, scientists have applied various techniques to diagnose and treat the viral disease. However, due to the limitations of other methods, they deployed Clustered-Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) protein (CRISPR/Cas) system that not just successfully diagnosed but also facilitated the therapeutic treatment of the COVID-19. CRISPR-Cas9 was first identified in the bacteria E. coli, which has a unique immune system for cutting the nucleic structures of invasive species. Scientists studied the bacterial system that led to the development of an identical model, generally called the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing system. It has a guide RNA (gRNA) and Cas9 proteins; gRNA identifies and leads cas9 protein to cleave the specific sequence. This technique has dynamic applications, such as the ability to correct mutations by cleaving the mutant cells and to detect and develop optimal treatments for viral diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2). Apart from the extensive advantages of CRISPR-Cas technology, there are serious concerns regarding the commercialization of this technique. A rational suggestion would be to use it to resist a pandemic like COVID-19 rather than triggering another human race of genome enhancement. This article is aimed to review the background of CRISPR-Cas9, its mechanism as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool for COVID-19, whereas its limitations, future aspects, and ethical boundaries are discussed subsequently