UC Berkeley professor Jennifer Doudna, one of the pioneers of the gene-editing technique known as CRISPR, thinks the biotech tool could be an essential one for combating COVID-19 and future pandemics. Due to its capacity to be "reprogrammed" like software, CRISPR could eventually be integral to countless tests and treatments. "One thing that's so intriguing about the whole CRISPR technology, it's a toolbox and there's many ways to repurpose it for manipulating genomes, but also for detection, even getting virus materials and the kinds of reagents that you need for an effective vaccine," she explained.