Advancing Genome Engineering to Treat Genetic Diseases
August 12, 2015| |
A new technique in genome engineering has been developed by Basil Hubbard from University of Alberta that can be applied in the field of therapeutic treatment. This new method has significantly improved the capacity of researchers to target specific faulty genes and then edit them, replacing the damaged genetic code with healthy DNA.
Genome engineering is involved in targeted, specific modification of an organism's genetic information. In the study, a new way to reduce the off-target DNA binding of a class of gene editing known as transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENS) has been developed. This new method enables researchers to quickly evolve the proteins autonomously to make them more specific and targeted over time.
This implies that the researchers can now target specific faulty genes and then edit them, replacing the damaged genetic code with healthy DNA. This can also be used as a basis in developing better gene editing tools and can be applied in future treating of genetic diseases such as muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, and others.
Read more about the study at University of Alberta's website.
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