A decade of discovery: CRISPR functions and applications
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Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Author Spotlight: Establishing CENP-E Knockout HeLa Cells – A Novel Approach to Study Kinesin-7 CENP-E Biology and its Inhibitors
Published on: June 23, 2023
Rodolphe Barrangou1, Philippe Horvath2
1Department of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University, 400 Dan Allen Drive, Campus Box 7624, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7624, USA.
Abstract:
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the identification of the biological function of CRISPR-Cas as adaptive immune systems in bacteria. In just a decade, the characterization of CRISPR-Cas systems has established a novel means of adaptive immunity in bacteria and archaea and deepened our understanding of the interplay between prokaryotes and their environment, and CRISPR-based molecular machines have been repurposed to enable a genome editing revolution. Here, we look back on the historical milestones that have paved the way for the discovery of CRISPR and its function, and discuss the related technological applications that have emerged, with a focus on microbiology. Lastly, we provide a perspective on the impacts the field has had on science and beyond.
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