Researchers create new type of gene-editing technology to fight diseases

In order fight diseases more effectively, Chinese researchers claim to have developed a totally new type of gene-editing technology that will serve as a better alternative to the CRISPR one.

Researchers from China’s Peking University have created a new gene-editing technology dubbed ‘LEAPER’. They believe that the new technology shows a more promising result as an alternative to CRISPR gene-editing tech for fighting human diseases.

LEAPER, which stands for ‘leveraging endogenous ADAR for programmable editing of RNA’, works in a similar fashion to the CRISPR-Cas13 that targets RNA molecules as opposed to the DNA ones like it’s done in CRISPR-Cas9, explained Futurism.

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The CRISPR-Cas13 is dependent on both a guide RNA and the Cas13 enzyme in order to make the edits to its RNA. The LEAPER, in comparison, requires just one component called ‘arRNA’, which in turn makes the system ‘more easily deliverable and less likely to result in unwanted cellular immune responses’, the team told Chinese new outlet Caixin.

Since the technology does not change the DNA directly and rather makes use of native proteins, it is unlikely to cause any heritable changes, while also being precise and safe at the same time, researcher Zhou Zhuo told The Global Times.

In the tests of cells taken from people with the genetic disorder Hurler syndrome, the new LEAPER system was able to correct ‘sufficient amounts’ of the cells’ mutated RNA. Zhuo said that there are obvious prospects in using this technology is disease treatment and can act as a good potential alternative.

Moreover, the research is still in its early stages, with the team now moving on to animal tests. Hence, it will take time for LEAPER to entirely replace CRISPR as the paramount gene-editing technology.