The fast-paced breakthrough of biotechnology has made it possible to picture a future where diseases and genetic-disorders can be treated.

The number of research publications using Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, or [CRISPR] for short, as a technology have increased drastically over the past 10 years.

According to Elsevier, in 2015, the number of articles related to CRISPR (1185) almost tripled compared with the combined growth rate in publication output for the other methods.

The breakthrough of this technology and what it is capable of achieving has been beyond the unthinkable. Yet, in spite of the progression of CRISPR, we see very few Canadian researchers bringing their CRISPR research to market.

What is CRISPR?

CRISPR allows you to cut the DNA strands to alter its structure in a relatively short period of time, which entails that diseases caused by a single typo in the genetic code such as cystic fibrosis, inherited blindness and others, could ultimately be prevented or treated.

“CRISPR has made a huge hype in the news and it deserves all the attention; it’s quick, relatively simple, cheap and most importantly, it’s very precise.”- Mahzad Sharifahmadian, District 3 Innovation Centre Biolab Manager and Life Sciences Fellow explains at the CRISPR: Gene Editing and the Future of Synthetic Biology workshop.

Mahzad Sharifahmadian, Biolab Manager and Life Sciences Fellow | Photo by Concordia University

“The beauty of CRISPR is in its simplicity” says Dr. Alan Peterson at the SingularityU Canada Summit — Montreal Satellite Event. He outlines how editing our genomes with CRISPR is being defined as a vital moment in human history. The structure of DNA, or magic velcro, as Dr. Allan calls it, consists of two strands twisted into a double helix and held together by simple pairing rule of A-T and C-G — where the two components are a perfect complementary match.

While the technology of CRISPR and how it works might seem complex, the metaphor used by Dr. Alan demonstrates the value of how simple this technology is, relative to the advancement of gene editing tools over the past few decades.

“Imagine there is a dog and a boy carrying a bag walking on railroad tracks. The tacks would represent the DNA structure of a double helix, and the dog would be the guide RNA sniffing out the place the genome is directed to, the boy would be the enzyme [Cas9 protein] that will take the necessary action once it reaches the target location, and the backpack represents what needs to be carried and delivered to that site.”- Dr. Alan Peterson.

Applications of CRISPR

Breakthroughs in the CRISPR technology represent how the advancement of gene editing are vastly improving and how fast-paced the field is. The applications of what this technology could adhere to spans from designing pest-resistant crops, to creating genetically designed low fat pigs — which reduce farmers’ overhead and prevents animals from suffering from the cold.

However, there are about 10,000 genetic disorders that are caused by a single mutation and could, in theory, be repaired with the same technology as CRISPR.

Two research studies recently published by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, used a new technique called base editing to correct mutations in human cells. A research team in China has even used the base editing technique on human embryos.

“The ability to correct disease-causing mutations is one of the primary goals of genome editing. This new ability to edit RNA opens up more potential opportunities to treat many diseases, in almost any kind of cell.” — Feng Zhang, researcher at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

Addressing the Concerns of Civil Society

Nonetheless, questions around possibilities of CRISPR applications to change DNA sequences are vital to consider. Delving into the unknown of what humanity could use CRISPR for creates a gap between citizens and science due to the lack of education regarding these technologies and their applications.

Canadian researchers are starting to take a stance on the applications and ethical concerns of CRISPR and how citizens should be involved in the process.

At the Beyond Disciplines: Editing Genes Forum hosted by Concordia University, Dr. Francesca Scala, whose research focuses on Canadian and comparative health policy, discusses the economic and social benefits of CRISPR and the challenges we face in Canada.

“As a policy scholar, I recommend we think about having consensus conferences and bringing ordinary citizens to deliberate and be educated on issues related to CRISPR.” She further explains how a cross-disciplinary approach to studying CRISPR, in which bringing in diverse researchers will satisfy the needs of the scientific community and address the concerns of civil society.

Commercialization of CRISPR

Photo by Concordia University

Efforts of commercializing CRISPR have been taking place worldwide. Companies like eGenesis Bio, which was founded in 2015 by the CRISPR and genomic pioneers Dr. Luhan Yang and Dr. George Church, plans to deliver safe and effective human transplantable cells, tissues and organs to hundreds of thousands of patients by generating human organs from pigs.

Indigo Biosciences is another example with a mission to provide innovative products and services to reduce time, cost, and risk in the drug discovery process by using nanobots to target and kill pathogenic antibodies.

Despite the growing popularity of CRISPR, we have yet to see any Canadian companies developing technologies based on it.

District 3 Innovation Centre empowers researchers to bridge the gap between research and commercialization by undertaking an entrepreneurial path or joining industry projects.

Margaret Magdesian is one of the few scientist-entrepreneurs that embarked on a journey to bring her research to market and solve a problem many scientists face. She developed a microfluidic device that helps organize neurons, making them easier to study.

Margaret Magdesian, founder and CEO of ANANDA Devices. | Photo by Brendan Hart

She is the CEO and co-founder of Ananda Devices, a biotech startup currently at District 3, that is bringing cell culture to the 21st century by using micro and nanotechnology to develop silicone-based microfluidic devices.

Margaret is one of the many scientists who are taking the leap. District 3 will be giving researchers the opportunity to discover non-academic career paths. The aim of this event will be to encourage researchers to move from research to impact by explaining the entrepreneurial and financing programs available to them, and how to partner with industry leaders to commercialize academic research.

Moving Forward

The conversation of gene editing is no longer trapped inside a cell structure, organizations such as District 3 are giving people the opportunity to learn more about these technologies, as well as providing researchers the tools, resources and knowledge to bring their research to market.

With support from the Government of Canada’s Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) and from the Government of Quebec’s Plan québécois des infrastructures 2016–2026 (PQI), Concordia University’s new $52.75 million investment to accelerate the next-generation of research will help researchers produce outstanding, internationally renowned work as said by Graham Carr, Concordia University’s provost. The building will include District 3’s dry and wet co-working laboratories to support entrepreneurs developing products based on scientific discoveries and ideas.

Moreover, the 13th Annual International CRISPR Congress, the largest international conference on CRISPR-Cas systems and their application, will be held at the Québec City Convention Centre in 2019. Moving the needle for Canadian researchers to take the lead in biotechnology.

The possibilities of what researchers and scientists could achieve beyond their academic careers are endless. There’s a need and an urgency in developing solutions through technologies that will not only shape our future, but set up a path for the next-generation of scientific research and advancement in Canada.