Therapeutic and diagnostic relevance of Crispr technology

CRISPR is a family of DNA repeats providing immunity against viral and plasmid invading DNA in bacteria and archaea. The system consist of an endonuclease Cas, guided by a RNA sequence, able to cleave the DNA double strand at a specific site. The discovery of Crispr function in 2007 has revolutionized genetic engineering by giving to the world the most powerful and precise tool for targeted genome editing. The aim of this review is to synthesize the current knowledge on Crispr/cas system and its application in biomedical field. In particular, we focus on the relevance of this new tool in progressing our comprehension for biological mechanisms and improving our ability to treat and prevent genetic diseases, to control microbial virulence and to generate animal models for basic and clinical research. We discuss also the ethical issues that may prevent the application of Crispr technology in living beings.