How does the new CRISPR gene editing therapy work?

The new CRISPR gene editing therapy is like a super-smart pencil that can fix spelling mistakes in our body’s instruction book, called DNA.

Imagine your body has a big, long instruction book, it tells every part of you what to do. Sometimes there are little spelling mistakes in those instructions, and that can make us sick or give us special traits. CRISPR is like a pencil that finds the mistake and fixes it.

CRISPR has a special detective, it looks for a specific part of the DNA, like finding your name in a big book. Once it finds the right place, it uses a tiny scissors to cut out the wrong spelling.

After it cuts out the mistake, CRISPR can add in the correct letters, just like when you use a pencil to write over the mistake. This helps fix the problem in your body’s instruction book so everything works better.

Sometimes, instead of fixing a mistake, CRISPR can even make new letters appear, kind of like adding a new word into the story!