New CRISPR system selectively destroys cancer cells
Researchers have discovered a new CRISPR system, Cas12a2, that can selectively destroy cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. In mice, the therapy reduced tumor volume by about 50 percent after a single treatment.
A team of researchers led by Utah State University biochemist Ryan Jackson has discovered a new CRISPR system, Cas12a2, that can selectively kill cancer cells. Unlike the better-known CRISPR system Cas9, Cas12a2 uses a guide RNA to bind complementary RNA and shreds all DNA it encounters, effectively killing the cell. The researchers demonstrated that Cas12a2 can selectively kill cells containing a single-point mutant that causes cancer, while leaving cells without the mutant unaffected. In mice, the therapy reduced tumor volume by about 50 percent after a single treatment. The researchers are optimistic that their findings are a step in the right direction for human therapies, but acknowledge that thorough research and testing in humans will be required. The discovery was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the R. Gaurth Hansen Family, and was published in the journal Nature.
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