Chase BEISEL - Exploring and harnessing CRISPR's natural diversity

CRISPR is best known as a revolutionary tool for genome surgery bringing new opportunities to cure genetic diseases. However, its origins lie in widespread immune systems of bacteria and archaea called CRISPR-Cas systems. These immune systems all rely on RNA-guided nucleases to recognize sequences from infecting agents like bacteriophages and enact immunity. However, the exact mechanism varies widely across these systems, creating unique opportunities for tool and technology development. Here, I will describe my own group's work characterizing the rich diversity of CRISPR-Cas immune systems and how they can be harnessed for different purposes. Through these examples, I will illustrate how the arms race between bacteria and bacteriophages gave rise to ingenious biochemical mechanisms and how these mechanisms can be harnessed to benefit society.