Gene editing continues to advance both in the clinic trial arena and at more basic science levels including a report on a new approach called click editing. The two gene editing papers below highlight the variety of tools now available.
Gene Editing papers including click editing
- Click editing enables programmable genome writing using DNA polymerases and HUH endonucleases, Nat. Biotech. This is the new versatile click editing approach combining polymerases and a nickase. There’s this comment from Charles Gersbach on the paper: “This manuscript reports an interesting and novel new editing technology – click editing (CE) – that combines both recruitment of a DNA template to an HUHe protein domain fused to nCas9 via covalent attachment, and DNA polymerases to copy that template into the genomic DNA at the nCas9 nick site. The approach is unique and could enable a variety of new opportunities in the gene editing field, and thus will be of widespread interest.”
- A Disease That Makes Children Age Rapidly Gets Closer to a Cure, NYT. Subtitle: “Progress in the quest to help progeria patients suggests that gene editing techniques may help treat other ultrarare conditions.” The method here is base editing. Of course, many other efforts are focused on more standard or adapted Cas9-type editing.
More recommended reads
- MTGR1 is required to maintain small intestinal stem cell populations, Cell Death & Diff.
- Transition of signal requirement in hematopoietic stem cell development from hemogenic endothelial cells, PNAS.
- Cord blood banking: Experts raise concern over claims made for stem cell applications, BMJ. This follows an NYT piece last week raising numerous concerns about private cord blood banking.