He Jiankui claimed to have produced the first human babies born with CRISPR-cas edited genomes, 4 affirming predictions that germ-lined edited “designer babies” were coming soon.
3 Recently, the technology provoked a significant reaction that swept through the scientific community. Thus, although student knew of its existence or were formally introduced through course work in other courses, this informal survey demonstrated that most students did not have or retain a comprehensive understanding of CRISPR-cas technology and its diverse uses.ĬRISPR-cas systems, originally identified as an adaptive immune response in bacteria against phages by yoghurt company Danisco, 1, 2 have been repurposed by scientists for genome-engineering applications in basic science (reviewed in Chen and Doudna.
Interestingly, although many students had been previously introduced to CRISPR technology, when asked to elaborate on the depth and extent of their knowledge, 66.6% of written responses were coded as “I don't know” or “I can't remember.” Of students remaining, 33.4% of students with a cursory knowledge of CRISPR, comments focused on the novelty and basic components of this technology, however their descriptions lacked accuracy or in-depth discussion of its applications. The results of this questionnaire indicated that CRISPR-cas associated technologies are becoming fundamental components of an undergraduate STEM curriculum, even at the introductory level. Of the students identifying as aware of this technology, our survey results indicated their knowledge concerning CRISPR mostly came from a previous course however, the news, social media, podcasts/radio and textbooks were also cited as sources for this information. Pre-surveys indicated that 76.5% of students (13/17) in a Genetics course were minimally aware of CRISPR-cas technology, while the remainder of the students either had not heard of the technology or were not sure if they had heard of it. Thus, to determine the prior knowledge level of CRISPR-cas based technologies, we surveyed undergraduate sophomore- junior- level Genetics students at the onset of the semester. Broadly speaking, we wondered what the extent of mid to upper-career science student knowledge was on CRISPR-cas-based technology and its uses. CRISPR-cas technology is bound to impact medicine, agriculture, biosphere, and potentially future generations of humans. We assessed student-learning outcomes and conclude that this learning module is an effective strategy for teaching undergraduates the fundamentals and application of CRISPR-cas gene editing technology and can be adapted to other genes and diseases that are currently being treated with CRISPR-cas technology.ĬRISPR-cas technology is touted as the “game-changing technology” for its ability to modify nature at its most fundamental level through the programmable editing of DNA with precision and speed. This also allowed us to engage students in an open conversation about the bioethical implications of heritable germline and non-heritable somatic genomic editing. Our primary teaching objective was to immerse students in the design, strategy, conceptual modeling, and application of CRISPR-cas technology using the current research claim of the modification of the CCR5 gene in twin girls.
We developed and implemented an educational module that introduces students to CRISPR-cas technology in a Genetic course and an Advanced Genetics course.
CRISPR-cas technology is being incorporated into undergraduate biology curriculum through lab experiences to immerse students in modern technology that is rapidly changing the landscape of science, medicine and agriculture.
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