UC San Diego and Yale Scientists Develop Safer Alternative to CRISPR

Researchers from the University of California (UC) San Diego and Yale University have developed a new gene editing approach that could be safer than the widely used CRISPR system. The method, explained in Nature Chemical Biology, uses human-based editing systems to make highly specific, temporary modifications.

While CRISPR has transformed gene editing, it is also known to cause unintended consequences when used to edit human DNA. In search of safer alternatives, the team of Dr. Gene Yeo, corresponding author of the study and a professor at UC San Diego, tested two systems using small nuclear RNAs that corrected RNA “letters” (adenine, uracil, cytosine, and guanine) with greater precision and safety. As opposed to bacteria-based editing systems, “Human-based editing systems have less potential for issues,” said Dr. Yeo.

The results showed the small nuclear RNA approach produced fewer off-target edits, worked better on complex RNAs, and successfully repaired faulty genes in a cystic fibrosis model. The research team said that this approach could lead to safer, more precise treatments for a variety of diseases, including neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, and immune disorders.

For more information, read the article from UC San Diego.