Date of Award:

12-2024

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Committee Chair(s)

Ryan N. Jackson

Committee

Ryan N. Jackson

Committee

Chase L. Beisel

Committee

Sean J. Johnson

Committee

Nick E. Dickenson

Committee

Lance C. Seefeldt

Abstract

In the wake of the 2020 COVID19 pandemic, we have become acutely aware of the threat caused by viral infection. Humans are not alone in being threatened by viruses. Bacteria are under constant attack from viruses and have had to develop elaborate defense systems to protect themselves. As we learn about how bacteria defend themselves against viruses, we discover new biological pathways that can be repurposed as human technologies. One example is the bacterial immune system CRISPR – Cas9, which most think of as a genome editing tool. Here I describe a new immune system, CRISPR – Cas12a2 whose unique biochemical activity could be used for selective cell killing applications in biotechnology, agriculture and medicine.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Available for download on Saturday, December 01, 2029

Included in

Biochemistry Commons

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