Cas9 tagged posts

Researchers at Duke University and North Carolina State University have discovered a handful of new CRISPR-Cas systems that could add to the capabilities of the already transformational gene editing and DNA manipulation toolbox.

Of the new recruits, one system from bacteria commonly found in dairy cows shows particular promise for human health. Its efficiency is on par with the original and most widely used CRISPR-Cas system, but its small size allows it to be more easily packaged for delivery to human cells. It also can target specific gene sequences that other systems cannot, and human immune systems are unlikely to have been exposed to it.

The results appear online March 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

CRISPR-Cas9 burst onto the broader sc...

Scientists describe a method of rendering the gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 ‘immunosilent,’ potentially allowing the editing and repair of genes to be accomplished reliably and stealthily...

An illustration of how CAS-12A works with DNA. Illustration by Jenna Luecke, University of Texas at Austin

Scientists have found conclusive evidence that Cas9, the most popular enzyme currently used in CRISPR gene editing, is less effective and precise than one of the lesser-used CRISPR proteins, Cas12a. Because Cas9 is more likely to edit the wrong part of a plant’s or animal’s genome, disrupting healthy functions, the scientists make the case that switching to Cas12a would lead to safer and more effective gene editing.

“The overall goal is to find the best enzyme that nature gave us and then make it better still, rather than taking the first one that was discovered through historical accident,” said Ilya Finkelstein, an assistant professor of molecular biosciences and a co-author of the ...