A CRISPR Way To Fix Faulty Genes

[Alan C. Lawhon]

Not sure if this is the correct place to post this ... If not, hopefully a mod can put it where it would be more appropriate.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/06 ... ulty-genes

This is really interesting. When academic researchers voluntarily cut their ties with their university, along with the possibility of eventually obtaining tenure and life time job security, in order to start their own companies; they must be on to something with major financial implications. From what limited knowledge of genetic engineering I have, this appears to be a method of gene splicing where you "cut out" a faulty (or mutated) section of DNA and replace it with non-defective genes that work as they are supposed to work. The advance that Dr. Mello and Jennifer Doudna appear to have discovered is how to do this economically.

If this technique holds up in clinical trials and eventually receives FDA approval, it could very well be the end of a lot (maybe even most) genetically inherited diseases. Better yet, if you are diagnosed with a mutation in your DNA which has triggered a disease - like say Parkinson's or Alzheimer's or any one of the hundreds of other genetically triggered diseases - and a CRISPR gene splice technique has been developed to treat that particular defect, it should be feasible to be "cured" of these deadly diseases.

I wonder where and how this discovery ties in with protein folding?