CRISPR, or more accurately CRISPR-Cas9, is a gene editing tool that promises to change the landscape of medicine and science into the future. By quickly and easily identifying and modifying important genetic sequences in almost any living thing, scientists can work wonders like curing cancer, eradicating pest-borne disease, improving food supplies and more. We are on the bleeding edge of a scientific and medical revolution — so it is understandable that you are desperate to find out how you can do your part.
Working with CRISPR is easier than you might expect. In fact, some biotech startups are hoping to get this tool into the hands of lay people as soon as possible with DIY, at-home CRISPR kits — though you should consider completing a CRISPR course before you try your hand at biohacking and gene editing in your living room.
If you want to contribute more substantially to scientific and medical discovery than an at-home kit allows, you will need to take appropriate steps in your studies and career to get your hands on CRISPR in a laboratory setting. Here’s a guide to how to work with CRISPR as a career.
Study Genetics
Because CRISPR is a gene editing tool, knowing as much as possible about DNA and the genome is key to deploying CRISPR appropriately, and starting your genetics studies in your undergraduate program will put you ahead of your competition when it comes to seeking advanced degrees, research grants and employment.
While biology in general will give you the foundation you need to understand the mechanisms that make CRISPR work, you should try to find a life sciences college that allows you to gain a degree in genetics, specifically, or at least is well-known for their genetics programs. Within this course of study, you will learn the fundamental chemistry and math associated with genetics research, but you will also have access to a number of specialized courses, like speciation, microbial genomics and population genetics.
Join a Gene Lab
Even as an undergrad, you can gain real-world lab experience. As an undergrad student lab assistant, you will have simple tasks that nonetheless directly impact ongoing research; though your responsibilities will vary depending on your supervisor, you will likely be responsible for setting up the laboratory, cleaning equipment and organizing supplies as well as preparing simple solutions, slides and other elements of the experiment.
Colleges with strong genetics programs undoubtedly have some laboratories engaged in CRISPR-related genetic research. Though you won’t be allowed to use CRISPR to perform your own experiments just yet, you will gain more familiarity with the tool by participating in its use in a real-world lab setting.
Develop a Research Interest
If you are interested in pursuing a career in academia, you need to begin developing an idea for your graduate-level and postgraduate research. There are dozens of applications for CRISPR, from treating and curing devastating human diseases to altering animal development to preserve ecosystems or facilitate agriculture. You might look into furthering your undergraduate research in graduate and postgraduate settings, or you might try to develop your own, separate research as driven by your own interests and curiosity. Regardless, you will need to find a university willing to support your research and apply for a variety of grants and other funding to keep your CRISPR laboratory in operation.
Find a Job
If you don’t want to go the academic route, you can find plenty of job opportunities with CRISPR in industry. Pharmaceutical companies, in particular, are interested in developing the CRISPR tool into a revolutionary drug to help treat a variety of chronic conditions, like heart disease, multiple sclerosis, blood disorders, blindness and more. With the right degree and experience, you can easily find a position working in a pharmaceutical industry lab and using CRISPR to advance medicine into the future.
CRISPR-Cas9 was first discovered over 30 years ago, but it still feels like a brand-new technology that has yet to be put to its fullest and best use. By devoting your studies and career to CRISPR, you could make history in the development of world-changing therapies and drugs that make life healthier, easier and better for all manner of people, plants and animals.
