A group of researchers from the North American Arc Institute documented a new gene editing technique that It promises to be more precise and open the door to cures for various diseases.
Gene editing allows the genome to be rewritten, the hereditary information of an organism, which is encoded in a complex molecule known as DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). In recent years, the acronym CRISPR has become known, which represents a technique for genetic editing of organisms, which allows isolating the part of the DNA chain responsible for a disease and altering that characteristic.
The point is that, until now, this technique can have various side effects and accuracy issues – for example, undesirably affecting some point in the sequence or generating genetic instability.
The discovery of the group, made up of researchers from the universities of Berkeley, Stanford and Tokyo, represents the demonstration in bacteria of a technique that promises to be more precise. While acknowledging that CRISPR has “revolutionized gene editing,” for “large-scale genome design issues, scientists need a more precise and programmable way to rearrange large segments of DNA,” the Arc Institute explains in social network x.
????We present a new powerful and programmable mechanism for genome design: DNA recombination with bridging RNA.
As the first natural RNA-guided DNA recombinase, this system allows the insertion, excision or inversion of any two DNA sequences.
out today in @Natureled by Arc… pic.twitter.com/JWWOJcu2en
– Arc Institute (@arcinstitute) June 26, 2024
The discovery is a”compact and completely new type of programmable molecular system”, explains the North American institute, capable of “evolving to insert new DNA sequences into the genome through RNA bridges,” in reference to direct enzymes. These bridges can be recombined, inserted, extracted or inverted, the researchers explain.
These bridges can be independently reprogrammed for the effects intended by scientists, allowing for “More agile handling compared to CRISPR”. In comparison, the previous technique requires “repairing cellular DNA after making a cut, while bridging can ensure DNA recombination without the need for repair mechanisms,” explained researcher Patrick Hsu.
Watch the video that explains the scientific discovery
This Wednesday, the team of researchers led by Patrick Hsu published two articles in the well-known scientific journal Nature where they document the collaboration between scientists carried out for more than two and a half years. The tests were carried out with different bacteria, in some cases with an editing accuracy of 94%, the newspaper notes. The country.
This new technique will need to be tested on mammalian animals until it reaches the point of testing in humans.
UC Berkeley professor Patrick Hsu, Arc Institute scientist Matthew Durrant and Berkeley bioengineering student Nicholas Perry are the lead authors of the discovery. The research was developed in collaboration with Silvana Konermann of Stanford University and Hiroshi Nishimasu, professor of structural biology at the University of Tokyo.
Source: Observadora
