Chinese scientists say ‘Midas’ touch helps to fine-tune CRISPR gene editing

Newly devised method ‘robustly and significantly increased’ gene-editing efficiency, CAS researchers say

Technique could be applied to improve efficiency of diverse CRISPR-Cas systems, team says in recently published paper

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Chinese researchers say they have designed techniques that could minimise “off-target effects” of gene editing. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 6:00am, 7 Jun 2022

Chinese scientists say they have discovered a new method that can significantly improve the efficiency of genome-editing tools.

The method, called Improving Editing Activity by Synergistic Engineering, or Midas, “robustly and significantly increased” the human gene-editing efficiency of three tools they used, the researchers said.

Moreover, based on Midas, the researchers found new genome editing tools that had higher efficiency and “very low” off-target effects.

The study by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was published in mainland peer-reviewed journal The Innovation late last month.

Genome editing is a method that lets scientists change the DNA of many organisms. These technologies act like scissors that allow genetic material to be added, removed or replaced at particular locations in the gene. Since a broken section of DNA in a gene triggers a cell’s repair mechanism to fix the break, genome “rewriting” allows scientists to mimic this natural process.

The technique aims for a wide range of applications, including in treating genetic or acquired diseases, diagnostic testing, and increasing yields and improving the nutrition of agricultural products.