Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) management using CRISPR-Cas based genome editing

Antimicrobial resistance is a serious threat to the human population and might be responsible for the emergence as well as re-emergence of various infectious diseases. The staggard development of new antibiotics and the resistance acquired by the pathogens against the existing antibiotics is indeed a menace and has aggravated due to the ongoing pandemic. CRISPR-Cas systems, an inherent immune mechanism present in prokaryotes is one of the most popular tools that was first harnessed in 2014 for selective removal of genes responsible for antimicrobial resistance. Gradually gaining considerable momentum in the field of genetics, medicine, and biotechnology, CRISPR-Cas technologies have been rapidly utilized in gene editing in human cells, designing animal models for disease progression studies to develop insect-resistant crop varieties and repurpose inherent bacterial CRISPR-Cas systems for target specific elimination of pathogens. The main aim of this review is to discuss how the CRISPR-Cas systems have been utilized to produce new-generation antimicrobials, associated delivery vehicles and challenges, and the prospects of these powerful antimicrobials.