While patent filings on the gene-editing applications of CRISPR seem to have gained real momentum from 2012 onwards, 2017 saw a peak in worldwide filings.
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), one of the most talked-about technologies of the decade whose developers were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020, is essentially a product of the efficient adaptation of a bacterial immune mechanism against invading viruses into a gene-editing tool in higher organisms. CRISPR enables alterations at genomic level with high specificity and accuracy. From healthcare and agriculture to the energy sector, the applications of CRISPR have made it one of the most promising gene-editing technologies to date, with further applications being constantly explored by scientists to achieve new heights in scientific innovation.
Surprisingly, unlike other contemporary technologies, CRISPR has reached the vocabulary of individuals even outside the scientific community over the years. The merits of the technology aside, what has also garnered a lot of attention are the ethical concerns pertaining to its in vivo applications and the long-fought patent disputes over its application in eukaryotes.