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What contribution did Feng Zhang make to CRISPR gene-editing technology?

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CRISPR-Cas9; gene editing — gene editing The CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing complex from the bacterium *Streptococcus pyogenes*.

In 2015, American scientist Feng Zhang and his colleagues significantly expanded the capabilities of CRISPR gene-editing technology by developing a new version that utilized the microbial nuclease Cpf1 (Prevotella and Francisella 1) instead of the commonly used Cas9.1

Unlike Cas9, Cpf1 requires only a single CRISPR guide RNA for specificity and creates staggered cuts in double-stranded DNA, which can offer researchers greater control over target sequence modifications. Furthermore, Zhang and his team developed additional CRISPR-based tools, including systems such as CRISPR-Cas13, which are designed to target RNA. These innovations have been instrumental in broadening the utility and precision of gene editing for various research and therapeutic applications.1