Ahmad Hafezi - Department of Biology, Faculty of science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

Today, it is known that most microorganisms can produce important secondary metabolites for humans, most of which can be used as antibiotics, antifungals, anticancer, etc. Most of these secondary metabolites are produced in pathways where other accessory compounds are also synthesized by some active enzymes in this pathway. Therefore, if it is possible to prevent the synthesis of other side products by using genetic engineering or pathway engineering, the production of the main product can be increased. Among the genome editing tools, the CRISPR Cas۹ gene editing system has become one of the most powerful tools with high efficiency in removing competing genes that exist in the pathway of secondary metabolite synthesis.

Genome editing, CRISPR-Cas۹, Metabolic engineering