vForeword
All of life is encoded in the four letters of DNA, ATGC. Recent advances in genome
engineering now enable us to manipulate, customize, and reprogram our genomes,
thus empowering us to rewrite our fate. Transplanting genetically altered cells and
organs into humans, helping prevent and cure cancers, and reversing aging would
once have been miracles and are suddenly now within our reach.
This comprehensive new text on genome engineering and the CRISPR revolutioncomes at a perfect time in the evolution of the field. The growth in new publications,
techniques, and discoveries is exponential, and keeping pace with the ever-expanding
applications of genome engineering can prove difficult.
This book provides a general introduction to the field and to the mechanics ofCRISPR, the most recent advance in genome engineering. The text subsequently
presents CRISPR’s applications in a variety of model systems, from cells to agricul-
ture to animal models. It concludes with a presentation of the future applications
and ethical considerations of genome engineering. Suitable for novices and experts
alike, this book will serve as a gateway for making original research publications in
the field more accessible by providing a broad overview of genome engineering
applications in a variety of contexts.
We are at a unique time in history where we have the unprecedented ability toplay an active role in our own evolution. This book will equip readers with the
knowledge to determine in which direction we should take it.
Harvard University
Boston, MA, USA
George M. Church