CRISPR-Cas9 is a revolutionary gene-editing tool that has been developed by chemists, biologists, and bioengineers. It is a genome editing technique that can precisely cut and edit specific genes in living organisms, including humans. This technology has revolutionized the way we think about genetic diseases and inherited disorders. It is already being used in the development of treatments for diseases like sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, and Huntington's disease.

CRISPR-Cas9 was adapted from a naturally occurring genome editing system that bacteria use as an immune defense. When infected with viruses, bacteria capture small pieces of the viruses' DNA and insert them into their own DNA in a particular pattern to create segments known as CRISPR arrays. The CRISPR arrays allow the bacteria to "remember" the viruses (or closely related ones). If the viruses attack again, the bacteria produce RNA segments from the CRISPR arrays that recognize and attach to specific regions of the viruses' DNA. The bacteria then use Cas9 or a similar enzyme to cut the DNA apart, which disables the virus.