Demystification and feasibility of CRISPR technology and gene editing in African laboratories

ABSTRACT Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, or CRISPR, is a powerful molecular biology tool that is enabling high-quality genetic research and engineering. However, for practical reasons, but more specifically because of the lack of training and the rapid development of gene-editing technology, the technique is still not well established in African laboratories. For this reason, a consortium formed by the Institut Pasteur of Tunis and Learn and Win decided to organise an international conference and workshop on CRISPR technology in particular and gene editing in general, focusing on the low-budget model more appropriate to the African context. From 12 to 17 June 2023, more than 200 interdisciplinary researchers and students from the life sciences and more than 20 international speakers and trainers gathered at the Institut Pasteur in Tunis, Tunisia, for the First African Conference and Workshop on CRISPR to discuss the latest gene editing technologies and discoveries. This Meeting Review describes the scientific event and highlights the main outcomes of both the conferences and the practical sessions. The symposium was a real success and thrives to educate, train and network international and young scientists in the field of gene editing and gene engineering.