CRISPR Pill May Be Key in Fight Against Antibiotic Resistance

I LOVE CRISPR! It's such an incredible tool (but also could possible be the end of humanity if in the wrong hands). Nevertheless, it's allowed us to do incredible things, and this is one of them.

The video below is quite terrifying. It's the visual representation of bacteria becoming resistant to increasing higher doses of an antibiotic. The test was done at Harvard University on a "mega-plate" which is essentially a massive Petri dish. In the columns from the outer columns to the center one was an antibiotic. The two furthest had no antibiotics, the second furthest had one dose, the third had 10x the previous column, then 100, then 1000. The bacteria was able to become resistant to all doses, no matter the magnitude, within 11 days...



CRISPR is a tool we can use to alter very specific parts of a DNA's Code. In this case the teams of scientists created a pill carrying the genome-editing power tool CRISPR that instructs harmful bacteria to shred their own genes to bits.

In essence, scientists are returning CRISPR to its roots. While best known as a handy way to manipulate DNA in mice and humans, CRISPR is actually a part of the bacteria’s immune defense system.

Just like our immune systems can turn against ourselves, scientists are now hoping to give harmful bacteria a destructive autoimmune disease.

When optimized, a CRISPR pill could have the ability to precisely target single strains of harmful bacteria, while leaving other types—including beneficial bacteria in the gut—intact.

Link

So instead of using antibiotics of today (and yesterday) that affect other, helpful bacteria that live inside all of us, we can now select just the harmful infection and eradicate it quickly, and without the chance of it becoming immune to the medicine.

It's awesome...

No thank you, I am not going to be a guinney pig anymore. If people want to try this and possibly have side effects, let them do it, I will wait till the stuff has been in use for seven to eight years. Just sweeten some water with a little Maple Syrup, it also has some chemistry that boosts antibiotic properties and shreds the antibiotic resistance of some bacteria. Wash the regular antibiotic down with this sweet water.

You can shred bacteria in the gut with proteinases too, stuff like pineapple or papaya fruit. Or just some onions.

originally posted by: rickymouse
No thank you, I am not going to be a guinney pig anymore.

That's the thing though, CRISPR works by directly selecting and altering a particular gene. So if we use it on a particular bacteria, it can only effect the bacteria because the bacteria is the only thing that has that gene.

I wonder how it will mix with depleted uranium,anthrax and sarin?


I think I'll croak from what they already killed me with ,when I served ,thanks.

originally posted by: Ghost147

originally posted by: rickymouse
No thank you, I am not going to be a guinney pig anymore.

That's the thing though, CRISPR works by directly selecting and altering a particular gene. So if we use it on a particular bacteria, it can only effect the bacteria because the bacteria is the only thing that has that gene.

I'll wait, A lot of drugs are silently taken off the market within three years for unforseen side effects.

a reply to: Ghost147

I agree with Rickymouse. I'm not opposed to medical/pharmacological advancement, but dietary medicine, exercise, and herbs should absolutely be the first line of defense. I understand that resistant infections have already crossed that first line of defense, so benefits of CRISPR might out weigh the risk(s) in such cases, but who knows what effects CRISPR might have on our DNA....if not ours, then the next generation?

If we would just put a fraction of the effort that we use for new pharmaceuticals into preventative measures with dietary/lifestyle changes, we really wouldn't have such a high demand for new anti-microbials, anti-cancers, immunosuppressants, anti-depressants, etc. We have the unique opportunity to learn how our foods can slow aging and prevent a whole host of disease, on the molecular level. We should focus more on that.

Nevertheless, S&F. It is an important development.

a reply to: Ghost147

I love CRISPR too. There's going to be so many applications in use in the next few years I think. Better management of chronic and deadly illnesses, maybe even complete reversals for some degenerative diseases. This is a great example because even people who know better than to run to the doctor for antibiotics every time they sniffle, can't always get away from antibiotics in the food supply. Antibiotic resistance is scary.

a reply to: Kali74

This is a great example because even people who know better than to run to the doctor for antibiotics every time they sniffle,

That always has baffled me. A doctor should not give out antibiotics because the patient thinks he needs them. Wrong doctor for sure.

originally posted by: BELIEVERpriest
a reply to: Ghost147

I agree with Rickymouse. I'm not opposed to medical/pharmacological advancement, but dietary medicine, exercise, and herbs should absolutely be the first line of defense. I understand that resistant infections have already crossed that first line of defense, so benefits of CRISPR might out weigh the risk(s) in such cases, but who knows what effects CRISPR might have on our DNA....if not ours, then the next generation?

If we would just put a fraction of the effort that we use for new pharmaceuticals into preventative measures with dietary/lifestyle changes, we really wouldn't have such a high demand for new anti-microbials, anti-cancers, immunosuppressants, anti-depressants, etc. We have the unique opportunity to learn how our foods can slow aging and prevent a whole host of disease, on the molecular level. We should focus more on that.

Nevertheless, S&F. It is an important development.

Antibiotics should have never became a thing in the first place. Doctors wouldn't prescribe them unless absolutely necessary in the 80s early 90s. These days idiots get a little sniffle and they beg for them. My sister had to call the cops on some lady at her practice because she got violent when the DR. refused to prescribe them.

Peeps are duuuuuumb.