CRISPR Technology and Its Importance in SARS-CoV-2 Treatment

Abstract

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) predominantly affects the respiratory system. The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on the health system and the global economy worldwide. To reduce the worsening impact of the pandemic, various treatment options and vaccines have been developed. Despite these efforts the pandemic could not be stopped because of the single-stranded nature of the virus combined with the lack of proof-reading abilities of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). This results in a high probability of error in the copying process and consequently, mutations occur. The increase in mutations in SARS-CoV-2 reduced the efficacy of antiviral medicines and vaccines. To fight this problem, studies were conducted on the efficacy and safety of using Clustered Regularly Interspersed Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Initially, discovered in archaea, CRISPR is a gene-editing tool that works by altering specific parts of the genome. In this review, we focused on the efficacy and safety of CRISPR technology in the treatment of COVID-19.