Role of CRISPR-Cas9 Technology in Bioremediation

The increasing global demand for agricultural productivity has led to extensive reliance on synthetic pesticides to manage pests such as insects, weeds, nematodes, and microbial pathogens. While effective, excessive pesticide usage has resulted in serious environmental consequences, including soil contamination, biomagnification in aquatic ecosystems, and significant risks to human health, such as DNA damage, carcinogenicity, and neurological disorders. Conventional bioremediation approaches, which rely on naturally occurring microorganisms and plants to detoxify hazardous compounds, often suffer from limited efficiency and specificity. Recent advancements in genome-editing technologies, particularly the CRISPR-Cas9 system, offer a promising solution to these challenges. Derived from the adaptive immune mechanisms of prokaryotes, CRISPR-Cas9 enables precise gene knockout and knock-in through targeted DNA cleavage and repair pathways. This review highlights the molecular mechanism of CRISPR-Cas9 and its application in enhancing microbial, fungal, and plant-based bioremediation. CRISPR-mediated genetic modifications improve pollutant degradation efficiency, heavy metal tolerance, pesticide detoxification, and plastic waste management. Integration of CRISPR technology with omics-based systems biology further accelerates the identification of key metabolic pathways involved in contaminant breakdown. Overall, CRISPR-Cas9 represents a powerful, sustainable, and efficient tool for next-generation bioremediation and environmental restoration.