A research team from Gladstone Institutes developed a gene editing method
that allows simultaneous precision editing in multiple locations within a
cell. The findings of their study, published in Nature Chemical Biology,
could overcome a limitation of current genome editing methods.
Gene editing has been adopted and used by scientists to study and develop
crop varieties aimed at resisting various pests, insecticides, and diseases.
However, current approaches limit gene editing to one location only at a
time. "We wanted to push the boundaries of genomic technologies by
engineering tools to help us study the true complexity of biology and
disease," says Associate Investigator Seth Shipman, PhD, senior author of
the study.
The researchers introduced engineered retrons called multitrons to make
multiple simultaneous edits when delivered to a cell. These multitrons also
have the ability to delete large sections of the genome and record very weak
and strong signals in a cell at the same time. This approach is a step
forward in developing treatments and cures for various genetic diseases.
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gladstone.org]
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