How does CRISPR gene editing work to modify DNA?

CRISPR is like a special tool that lets scientists change parts of our DNA, just like fixing a typo in a story.

Imagine your DNA is like a very long book, it has all the instructions for how your body works. Sometimes there are little mistakes (like typos) in this book, and those can cause problems. CRISPR helps us find those typos and change them.

CRISPR uses something called guide RNA, think of it like a special map that shows exactly where the typo is in the DNA book. This guide RNA leads another tool, called Cas9, to the right spot.

Once Cas9 gets to the typo, it acts like a tiny pair of scissors and cuts out the wrong part. Then, scientists can add in the correct letters (or leave it as is), so the book works properly again.

It’s like having a magic eraser and marker, you erase the mistake and write in the right letter! This helps fix problems or even create new ones, depending on what we want to change.