“UCSB Scientists Triple Efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing Without Viral Delivery Using Cross-Linking”

The scientists tripled the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing using cross-linking, without using viral material for delivery. This approach enhances the cell’s natural repair mechanisms, enabling more precise and efficient gene editing, potentially enhancing disease research and preclinical work.

Gene editing is an effective method of research and treatment. Since the emergence of the Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR/Cas9 technology, a fast and precise genome editing tool invented in 2012, scientists have been working to explore its capabilities and improve its performance.

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara Laboratory, have added biologist Chris Richardson to this growing toolbox, by increasing the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 editing without using viral material to deliver the genetic template used to edit target gene sequences. According to their new paper published in the journal Natural BiotechnologyTheir method induced homology-directed repair (a step in the gene editing process) nearly threefold “without increasing mutation frequency or changing the outcome of terminal docking repair.”

“We’ve discovered chemical modifications that enhance non-viral gene editing and we’ve also discovered an exciting new type[{”attribute=””>DNArepair”Richardsonsaid[{”attribute=””>DNArepair”Richardsonsaid

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The CRISPR/Cas9 method works by capitalizing on a defense technique employed by bacteria against viral attackers. To do this, the bacteria snip a piece of the invading DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01654-y