Few techniques in the history of modern science have made as large an impact in as short a time as CRISPR-Cas9. Only a few years after the technique was first described, its inventors are predicted to be on the shortlist for winning the Nobel Prize. CRISPR is so popular, Jennifer Lopez is planning a TV show about it. What makes CRISPR so revolutionary, and what will its impact be for the kidney?

The CRISPR-Cas9 system provides an elegant solution to this challenge. Cas9 is a DNA-binding enzyme that can be 'programmed' with a short, customizable sequence of guide RNA (gRNA). Cas9 binds only to DNA sequences that precisely match the input gRNA, akin to a search tool in a word processor (see figure below). Once bound, Cas9 cuts the DNA precisely at that locus, providing an easy and convenient method to edit genes.

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