CRISPR

noun

ˈkri-spər 

variants or less commonly Crispr

1

: a segment of genetic material found in the genomes of prokaryotes (such as some bacteria and archaea) that consists of repeated short sequences of nucleotides interspersed at regular intervals between unique sequences of nucleotides derived from the DNA of pathogens (such as viruses) which had previously infected the bacteria and that functions to protect the bacteria against future infection by the same pathogens

Note: The CRISPR segment encodes, via transcription, short RNA sequences that pair with complementary sequences of viral DNA. The pairing is used to guide an enzyme to cleave the viral DNA and prevent further infection.

CRISPR, he learned, was a strange cluster of DNA sequences that could recognize invading viruses, deploy a special enzyme to chop them into pieces, and use the viral shards that remained to form a rudimentary immune system.

—Michael Specter

2

: a gene editing technique in which CRISPR and the RNA segments and enzymes it produces are used to identify and modify specific DNA sequences in the genome of other organisms

Just a few years after its invention, CRISPR gene editing is already having a major impact on biomedical research. It makes it easy to "turn off" genes one at a time, to see what they do. It can introduce specific mutations, to find out why they make cells cancerous or predispose people to diseases. And it can be used to tinker with the genes of plants and animals …

—Michael Le Page

Using CRISPR, they have now disabled four rice genes, suggesting that the technique could be used to engineer this crucial food crop.

—Elizabeth Pennisi

Scientists hope Crispr might also be used for genomic surgery, as it were, to correct errant genes that cause disease.

—Andrew Pollack

Note: The technique is sometimes called CRISPR-Cas9 , which includes the name of the enzyme that cleaves DNA.

… an incredibly fast-paced field in which laboratories around the world have used CRISPR-Cas9 to edit genomes of a wide range of cell types and organisms.

—Jennifer A. Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier

Examples of CRISPR in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the present study, the researchers used CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to screen thousands of genes in mouse fat cells, or adipocytes, to see which ones might produce microproteins that influence fat cell growth (proliferation) and fat storage. —New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2025

To start exploring these effects, researchers have intentionally altered the activity of one or more genes using the CRISPR DNA editing technology, then sequenced every RNA in the cell afterward to see what sorts of changes took place. —ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2025

The Chinese scientist used the gene-editing technique known as CRISPR, which allows scientists to make very precise changes in DNA much more easily than ever before but can cause potentially dangerous random mutations. —Rob Stein, NPR, 6 Aug. 2025

In the new study, the team took to the lab and used CRISPR gene editing to disrupt pax6 gene function. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 6 Aug. 2025

Neely Lab is interested in applying the technology to gene editing, having previously used CRISPR to understand the mechanisms behind how venoms cause cell death and pain, and how proteins bind to cells, including the crucial spike protein in SARS-CoV-2. —IEEE Spectrum, 27 July 2025

One project will use the gene editing tool CRISPR to engineer immune cells inside the body by injecting the CRISPR machinery into a patient, deliver it to a patient’s immune cells, and reprogram those cells to go after the cancer. —Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025

That means that if regulators approve the framework of the CRISPR gene-editing process, doctors would not need to conduct animal tests for each new CRISPR therapy designed for a patient. —Alice Park, Time, 8 July 2025

New tools that could make farms even more productive are constantly being developed—from CRISPR to remote-sensing drones and weeding machines that shoot out lasers. —Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 23 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Clustered Regularly-Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats

First Known Use

2002, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

CRISPR

noun

ˈkris-pər 

variants also Crispr

1

: a segment of genetic material found in the genomes of prokaryotes that consists of repeated short sequences of nucleotides interspersed at regular intervals between unique sequences of nucleotides derived from the DNA of viruses (such as bacteriophages) which had previously infected the prokaryote and that functions to protect the prokaryote against future infection by the same viruses

Note: The CRISPR segment encodes, via transcription, short RNA sequences that pair with complementary sequences of viral DNA. The pairing is used to guide an enzyme to cleave the viral DNA and prevent further infection.

One of the most dramatic examples of short-term genome evolution can be seen in the CRISPR … loci of bacteria and archaea. CRISPRs serve as a defense against invading phages and plasmids, in a manner akin to adaptive immunity.

—David A. Relman, The New England Journal of Medicine

2

: a gene editing technique in which CRISPR and the RNA segments and enzymes it produces are used to identify and modify specific DNA sequences in the genome of other organisms

Gene editing refers to several novel ways to alter the DNA inside living cells. The most popular method, CRISPR, has been revolutionizing scientific research … and is likely to power a new generation of gene treatments for serious diseases.

—Antonio Regalado, MIT Technology Review

Note: This technique is sometimes called CRISPR-Cas9, which includes the name of the enzyme that cleaves DNA.

CRISPR-Cas9 works by "silencing" the part of the … gene that signals protein production.

—Hanae Armitage, Science