RNA could be used for safer and more effective gene therapies, Chinese study finds
- Technology has ‘significant advantages in terms of safety and deliverability’, according to study author
Chinese scientists have successfully used RNA to precisely gene-edit mammalian cells – something that could be used to develop safer, more effective and lower-cost gene therapies.
RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is one of three macromolecules along with DNA and proteins that are key to many processes in the body.
“We realised all-RNA-based, targeted, full-length functional gene integration in mammalian cells by developing new gene integration tools from naturally occurring [genetic elements known as] retrotransposons,” the researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences wrote in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell on July 8.
The development of CRISPR-based gene-editing systems has pushed forward technology but finding a way to efficiently integrate large DNA fragments on a gene scale into genomes “remains a challenge”, study author Li Wei told state-run Science and Technology Daily.
Most gene-editing systems rely on DNA donors – such as plasmids or viral vectors – to carry a gene of interest into a cell so that it can be integrated into the host genome.