The promise of CRISPR for curing congenital eye disorders What is city talk? Keziya is a health research professional specialising in biotechnology. Genome editing is emerging as a powerful tool with the potential to eliminate a range of genetic disorders. Now the CRISPR-cas9 gene-editing tool, which is adapted from the bacterial anti-viral defense system, has broken new scientific ground by being directly administered into the body of live patients for the first time, in an attempt to cure them of blindness. Blindness remains one of the most pervasive global health problems in the world and has an incalculable economic impact. According to Tej Kohli of the Tej Kohli Foundation, up to 80% of blindness in low-and-middle income countries could be cured or avoided, compared to just 10% in developed countries. Closing this treatment gap requires new technological solutions.