New CRISPR tool allows for remote-controlled gene-editing
Published in Tools.
Engineers harness focused ultrasound to revolutionize CRISPR’s capabilities to treat countless diseases.
Thanks to the revolutionary advancements in CRISPR technology, medical specialists are on the verge of transforming how we approach the treatment and prevention of some of the most challenging genetic disorders and diseases.
CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a Nobel Prize-winning gene-editing tool that scientists are already using extensively to cut and modify DNA sequences, enabling them to activate or deactivate genes and even insert new DNA to correct genetic abnormalities. By harnessing the power of the Cas9 enzyme, CRISPR can alter DNA with unmatched precision.
Engineers from the USC Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering have now developed an update to the tool that will make CRISPR even more effective through the use of focused ultrasound. The new toolkit will enable precise targeting of CRISPR gene editing to the specific regions that need treatment. The research team is already working to apply this finding to improve their approach to cancer immunotherapy.
“CRISPR is revolutionary,” Dwight C. and Hildagarde E. Baum Chair in Biomedical Engineering Peter Yingxiao Wang said, “You can do genome or epigenome editing right in the cell nucleus — so that essentially, you can treat genetically-related diseases. But we are pushing it one step further to make it controllable. Instead of continuously editing the genome, we can now control it to be activated at a specific location and at a specific time using a non-invasive remote-controlled ultrasound wave. That’s the breakthrough.”
Wang and his lab have established themselves as leaders in the revolutionary field of focused ultrasound, significantly advancing cancer immunotherapy through the use of engineered Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cells. These powerful immune cells are isolated from patients and engineered to enhance their ability to target cancer. By employing ultrasound waves, Wang and his team can precisely govern these CAR T-cells, enabling them to zero in on tumor cells while protecting healthy tissue from damage.
https://www.techexplorist.com/new-crispr-tool-allows-remote-controlled-gene-editing/93916/