One of our longest running tropes has been the exciting new CRISPR Cas 9 gene editing technologies (LSS passim) Not just for the medical advances it offers, but because it’s a classic example of where those few in numbers but big on brains make a real difference, while the majority fight each other over the colours of their football shirts or whatever. Now Nature Briefings, that imprescindable go-to for all anxious to learn the latest in Science, has come up with a new step forward; Cancer Treatment CRISPR enzyme acts as DNA shredder. Read this:
| An unusual CRISPR enzyme can cause cancer cells to self-destruct by shredding their DNA. The protein — Cas12a2, a variant of the usual Cas protein found in CRISPR systems — can be ‘trained’ to recognize a specific RNA sequence made by cancer cells. Once the enzyme finds its partner, it begins to slash the cell’s genome to pieces. Researchers hope that this seek-and-destroy approach could be used to kill tumours that express mutant proteins that have been difficult to target using conventional medicines. “This is basically a programmable chemotherapy,” says molecular biologist Yang Liu. Nature | 6 min read Reference: Nature paper 1 & paper 2 |
What Cas12a2 really shows is how fast the CRISPR story has accelerated. In 2022, we were still marvelling that gene editing worked at all; today, the tools have become programmable therapies, capable of hunting down diseased cells with rules we write. CRISPR has gone from a clever molecular trick to a platform — one that keeps unfolding new possibilities with unnerving speed. If the early years were about proving the concept, this next phase is about deploying it, and Cas12a2 is a reminder that the frontier is no longer theoretical. Science haters everywhere take note: one day you’ll need us.
#molecular biology #cancer #CRISPR #gene editing # medicine #health
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