Chinese scientists develop new ‘controllable and reversible’ gene-editing technique
- Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Scientists say their technology uses an enzyme that targets RNA and has more short-lived effects
- The team says the technique could prove more efficient and safe and appears not to cause collateral damage to non-target cells
Chinese researchers say they have developed a new gene-editing tool that is more efficient and safer because it does not permanently change the genome.
The most widely used system employs CRISPR-associated protein-9 (Cas9), an enzyme that can cut the two strands of DNA in the genome to add or remove material.
But the new approach uses the Cas13 enzyme, which targets RNA. The technique is believed to be safer since RNAs are transient molecules that only exist in the cell for a limited period of time and are not integrated into the genome.
“Compared to DNA editing techniques, the Cas13 gene editing system is safer, and the effects are more controllable and short-lived,” Yang Hui, the corresponding author of the study and a researcher at the CAS Centre for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, said.
“CRISPR-Cas9 and Cas9-based gene editing tools are well protected by patents. Other companies don’t have a chance [to develop them],” he told Bioworld, a WeChat official account focusing on research. “The CRISPR-Cas13 systems are more specific and precise, so they have a broader scope of application.”