Saturday, November 9, 2024
HomeMedicineGeneticsNew CRISPR gene editing technique holds promise for genetic disease treatments

New CRISPR gene editing technique holds promise for genetic disease treatments

A recent study in Genome Biology shows how CRISPR-SKIP, a new method for gene editing, has enormous potential for many biomedical applications.

What if doctors could treat previously incurable genetic diseases caused by errors or mutations in genes? Thanks to new research by American scientists at the University of Illinois, we are one step closer to making that a reality. Published in Genome Biology, their work is based on CRISPR-Cas9, a groundbreaking genome editing system.

Typically, cells in the body “read” DNA to produce the proteins needed for different biological functions. Scientists can change how the DNA is read using CRISPR gene-editing technology. CRISPR-Cas9is often used to cut out specific areas of DNA and repair faulty genes. In the current study, the researchers modified existing technology to create CRISPR-SKIP. Instead of breaking DNA to cut faulty genes out, CRISPR-SKIP changes a single base of the targeted DNA sequence, causing the cell to skip reading that section of DNA.

According to the study authors, CRISPR-SKIP can eliminate faulty sections of DNA permanently, allowing for long-lasting treatment of some genetic diseases with one treatment. They successfully tested their technique in cell lines from both mice and humans. The scientists aim to test the method in live organisms in the future.

CRISPR-SKIP has the potential to help treat many diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, Huntington’s disease, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy to name a few. Because the method only requires editing of a single base, it is simple, precise, and adaptable to a variety of cell types and applications.

Written by Cindi A. Hoover, Ph.D.

References:

  1. Gapinske et al. CRISPR-SKIP: programmable gene splicing with single base editors. 2018. Genome Biology 19:107.
  2. New CRISPR technique that skips over portions of genes that can cause disease. https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/683492
Cindi Hoover PhD
Cindi Hoover PhD
Cindi has a Ph.D. in Marine Science from the University of Delaware and a B.S. in Biology from the College of William and Mary. Her research focused on the genetics and molecular biology of corals. Cindi gained scientific writing experience through her many years of work in genomics and molecular biology laboratories. She is excited to contribute to Medical News Bulletin and to help others learn about cutting-edge scientific research. In her free time, Cindi enjoys hanging out with her family, swimming, hiking, and photography.
RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest News and Articles

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTERS

Stay Connected
10,288FansLike
820FollowersFollow
249FollowersFollow
2,787FollowersFollow

Article of the month

Birth Control For The Boys, Sperm Suppressing Gel in Trials Now

Move over, ladies. The quest for male birth control is heating up, and it's not just about gels and pills—it's about rewriting the rules...

Joke Of The Day

Lawyer: Before you signed the death certificate, did you check the pulse ? Pathologist: No. Lawyer: Did you listen to the heart ? Pathologist:  No. Lawyer:  Did you check for breathing...

ADVERTISE WITH US

error: Content is read-only and copy-protected.