The gene-editing technology known as CRISPR has attracted much excitement and investor interest with its potential to someday treat diseases by fixing faulty copies of genes. But recently, a different approach called RNA editing, which could offer advantages over CRISPR, has been gaining ground in academic labs and start-ups, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.
RNA editing uses an enzyme called ADAR to make precise edits to RNA, the shorter-lived cousin to DNA that acts as a blueprint for proteins. Researchers direct ADAR to specific RNAs with a guide sequence attached to the enzyme. Unlike CRISPR gene editing, the effects of RNA editing are reversible because cells are constantly making new copies of RNA. Therefore, RNA editing avoids the risks of permanent gene editing with CRISPR, writes Assistant Editor Ryan Cross, and could also be used to treat temporary conditions, such as pain or inflammation.
However, finding an easy way to control how ADAR makes its edits has been challenging. Researchers have tried chemically attaching ADAR to a guide RNA, adding an RNA-binding protein or even linking the catalytic portion of ADAR to the bacterial Cas9 enzyme used in CRISPR. However, these approaches require getting the modified enzymes into human cells. Some researchers are working on using human cells’ own ADAR for RNA editing, by introducing chemically modified guide RNAs that recruit the editing enzyme and direct it to specific RNAs. With researchers and investors becoming increasingly interested in this approach, RNA editing could someday give CRISPR a run for its money, Cross writes.
The article, “Watch out, CRISPR. The RNA editing race is on,” is freely available here.
Learn more: Interest in RNA editing heats up
The Latest on: RNA editing
[google_news title=”” keyword=”RNA editing” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: RNA editing
- Wave Life Sciences announced continued momentum in GSK Collaboration and Advancements in siRNA and RNA Editingon April 27, 2024 at 6:27 am
Dr. Paul Bolno, President and CEO of Wave Life Sciences, remarks, "We've reached an exciting juncture in our collaborative research with GSK, with the selection of the first two programs marking a ...
- This AI Just Designed a More Precise CRISPR Gene Editor for Human Cells From Scratchon April 25, 2024 at 1:25 pm
Based on large language models—the tech behind the popular ChatGPT—Profluent's AI designed a new gene editor and put it to work in human cells.
- Arcturus Therapeutics to Report First Quarter Financial Results and Provide Corporate Update on May 8, 2024on April 25, 2024 at 1:02 pm
Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (the “Company”, “Arcturus”, Nasdaq: ARCT), a global messenger RNA medicines company focused on the development of ...
- GlaxoSmithKline sues Pfizer and BioNTech over Covid-19 vaccine technologyon April 25, 2024 at 9:22 am
GlaxoSmithKline sued Pfizer and BioNTech in Delaware federal court on Thursday, accusing them of infringing GSK patents related to messenger RNA (mRNA) technology in the companies' blockbuster ...
- GU Medical Center Distinguished Scientist Seminar Series Illuminates Uses of Gene Editing in Cancer Researchon April 23, 2024 at 5:00 pm
an RNA sequence called a guide RNA will help Cas9, a specialized enzyme, navigate to the site where it must cleave the virus’ DNA. Chari said the discovery of CRISPR-Cas9 revolutionized gene editing. ...
- ProQR defends RNA editing platform at EPOon April 23, 2024 at 8:31 am
Dutch biotech ProQR has successfully defended a patent covering its ribonucleic acid (RNA) editing platform Axiomer, following an opposition at the European Patent Office (EPO) filed in June 2021. On ...
- Wave Life Sciences Announces Continued Momentum in GSK Collaboration and Advancements in siRNA and RNA Editingon April 23, 2024 at 5:30 am
GSK has selected the first two programs to advance following achievement of target validation, marking transition to next phase of research collaboration; programs utilize Wave’s next generation ...
- Probing the Inner World of Cells Provides Unexpected Boost to Prime Editingon April 23, 2024 at 4:02 am
While probing the inner workings of cells, Dr. Britt Adamson, assistant professor of molecular biology at Princeton University, and colleagues discovered a way to boost the efficiency of prime editing ...
- ProQR Highlights Upcoming Presentations on Axiomer™ RNA Editing at ASGCT 27th Annual Meetingon April 22, 2024 at 3:32 pm
ProQR Therapeutics NV (Nasdaq: PRQR) (ProQR), a company dedicated to changing lives through transformative RNA therapies, today announced it will present new preclinical data for its proprietary ...
- A small factor makes a big impact on genome editingon April 22, 2024 at 8:52 am
Through years of engineering gene-editing systems, researchers have developed a suite of tools that enable the modification of genomes in living cells, akin to "genome surgery." These tools, including ...
via Bing News
