CRISPR discovery began as basic science, not medical research

 Not to put too fine a point on it, CRISPR technology emerged from a mechanistic understanding of how certain bacteria evade infection by bacteriophage. This is a basic research question that promised no therapies or connection to human disease. The same with restriction endonuclease, that were sine qua non to recombinant DNA/cloning in the '70s. There are many other examples of scientific discoveries that were made purely in the quest of better understanding and later found practical applications to human health. As the NIH has shifted increasingly to applied and clinical research, this sort of science is endangered. The NSF still funds basic research, but the budgets are much smaller and the awards are even more competitive than the NIH.