CRISPR, crispr genome editing system

CRISPR: three new developments in the world of gene editing

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In this article outlined three recent studies that have advanced the potential uses of CRISPR in the biomedical field. A new variant for CRISPR In a new study, researchers from Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan, US, revealed that using a novel variant to repair DNA can improve both safety and effectiveness of CRISPR-Cas9 for genetic research. According to the scientists, the safety and efficacy of CRISPR-Cas9 are what continue to hold the gene editing technique back from its full clinical potential. To develop their variant, the researchers fused a minimal motif consisting of 36 amino acids to a gene-editing nuclease Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (spCas9). According to the team, the new meticulous integration Cas9 (miCas9) binds RAD51 through this...
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Crispr Could Eradicate Acne

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For many people, high school is marked by socially recognized rites of passage such as proms, awkward first dates, and the stress of dramatic hormonal changes. For many, acne in particular is a major source of discomfort, self-consciousness, and even embarrassment. But now, acne treatment could be entering a new phase through synthetic biology innovation. It’s estimated that 85% of teens and young adults globally suffer from acne flare-ups. There are a number of myths as to what causes this condition. Chocolate, greasy food, cosmetics, and even skin hygiene are often blamed for acne outbreaks. The truth is that acne is caused by dead skin cells and excess protective skin oil (sebum) clogging the hair follicles. Excess sebum is typically...
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Tracking cancer metastasis with CRISPR opens new areas for drug development

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Metastasis is responsible for most cancer-related deaths, but it’s hard to trace. Now, a group of researchers has developed a CRISPR-based method that helped track tumor spreading patterns. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, San Francisco used the CRISPR gene editing tool to map out a detailed family tree that revealed the dynamics behind the development and progression of cancer metastases. While tracking the cancer cells, the scientists uncovered genes that either contributed to or suppressed the cells’ metastatic ability, as well as metastasis “hubs” they believe could be targeted with new cancer therapies. The results were published in Science. “With this method, you can ask questions like,...
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Hope for millions as scientists learn how to ‘edit out’ PAIN using CRISPR

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Scientists have discovered how to switch off a key ‘pain gene’, dramatically raising hopes of a long-term treatment to relieve the agony of serious illness for millions. The revolutionary technique alters a patient’s DNA, silencing a gene that transmits pain signals up the spine. Preliminary studies on mice have already proven successful and US researchers plan to start human trials next year, potentially offering terminally-ill patients and those with chronic conditions the prospect of pain-free care. The treatment, devised by start-up firm Navega Therapeutics in San Diego, California, could be approved for use in five years’ time, the founders told The Mail on Sunday. Revolutionary technique for treating pain was devised by start-up firm Navega Therapeutics based in San Diego, California....
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Biotech Stock Spikes On Promising First In-Human CRISPR Gene-Editing Drug

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Shares of Crispr Therapeutics (CRSP) jumped Tuesday after the biotech company’s gene-editing approach showed early promise. During the regular session on the stock market today, Crispr stock popped 17%, to 68.46, in above-average volume. At nine months following infusion, the beta thalassemia patient didn’t need a blood transfusion. Four months after treatment, the sickle cell patient didn’t experience any vaso-occlusive crises, a painful complication of the disease.  “While still very early, the results provide the first suggestion of curative potential for this cutting-edge technology in such genetic diseases,” RBC Capital Markets analyst Brian Abrahams said in a report to clients. CRISPR Gene-Editing Drug Shows Promise Prior to receiving the CRISPR gene-editing treatment, the patient with beta thalassemia needed 16.5 blood transfusions each year, at an annualized...
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Doctors safely used CRISPR technology on 3 cancer patients in the US for first time

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The first attempt in the United States to use a gene editing tool called CRISPR against cancer seems safe in three patients who’ve had it so far,  doctors reported Wednesday. The doctors were able to take immune system cells from the patients’ blood and alter them genetically to help them recognize and fight cancer, with minimal and manageable side effects, the AP reports. The treatment deletes three genes that might have been hindering these cells’ ability to attack the disease, as well as adds a new, fourth feature to help them do the job. “It’s the most complicated genetic, cellular engineering that’s been attempted so far,” said study leader Dr. Edward Stadtmauer of the University of Pennsylvania. Two of the patients have...
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CRISPR Gene-Editing May Offer Path To Cure For HIV, First Published Report Shows

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There’s been a lot of excitement lately that the powerful gene-editing technique CRISPR could offer a new way to treat health problems ranging from cancer to blindness. But there hasn’t been much direct scientific evidence in actual patients about whether it might work or would be safe — until now. Chinese scientists have published the first report in a scientific journal of an attempt to use CRISPR-edited cells in a patient–a 27-year-old man who is HIV-positive. While the treatment did not rid the man of the AIDS virus, the researchers and others are calling the report promising. That’s because it indicates that so far the gene-editing technique seems to safely and effectively make the precise DNA change intended. “It is a...
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Another miracle: CRISPR is gene-editing pain away

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Scientists say is a step toward a CRISPR gene therapy that could block severe pain caused by diabetes, cancer, or car accidents without the addictive effects of opioids. The street performer was only 10 years old. He put knives through his arms and walked on hot embers. By 14 he was dead. Someone dared him to jump from a roof. He did it, knowing it wouldn’t hurt. The case of the Pakistani boy with a rare genetic disorder was described in 2006. He could feel warmth and cold and the texture of objects. But he never felt pain. Now scientists have paired the discovery with the gene-editing tool CRISPR, in what they say is a step toward a gene therapy that...
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CRISPR enters its first human clinical trials. The gene editor targets cancer, blood disorders and blindness.

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Scientists will soon wield the molecular scissors CRISPR/Cas9 in the human body. Some people with a form of inherited blindness will have the gene editor injected into their eyes, where researchers hope it will snip out a mutation. Since its debut in 2012, CRISPR gene editing has held the promise of curing most of the over 6,000 known genetic diseases. Now it’s being put to the test. In the first spate of clinical trials, scientists are using CRISPR/Cas9 to combat cancer and blood disorders in people. In these tests, researchers remove some of a person’s cells, edit the DNA and then inject the cells back in, now hopefully armed to fight disease. Researchers are also set to see how CRISPR/Cas9...
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CRISPR breakthrough allows scientists to edit multiple genes simultaneously

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Genes and proteins in cells interact in many different ways. Each dot represents a gene; the lines are their interactions. For the first time, the new method uses biotechnology to influence entire gene networks in a single step(Credit: ETH Zurich / Carlo Cosimo Campa) We’ve seen a number of recent improvements to the CRISPR gene editing method, from enhanced precision to novel techniques to block the process. But despite all these innovations, the technique is generally only able to modify one single gene at a time. An incredible new breakthrough from scientists at ETH Zurich has, for the first time, demonstrated a new CRISPR method that can modify dozens of genes simultaneously, allowing for more large-scale cell reprogramming. In a recently published...
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