Advancements of CRISPR/Cas9 technology and its value in antiviral therapeutics

Abstract

CISPR/Cas9 system is a natural immune mechanism adopted by bacteria and archaea on exposure to invading phages and plasmids. The field of genome editing has been revolutionized with the advent of CRISPR/Cas9 technology. The CRISPR/Cas9 based gene editing has offered a promising therapeutic platform for many animal and human diseases, particularly viral diseases because viruses evolve constantly and hence escape vaccine-induced immunity. The targeted genome editing by RNA-guided nucleases is rapid, easy, economical, and efficient compared to previous editing technologies. It not only helps in the direct destruction of viruses, but also helps us understand the host-virus interactions, gene functions, and develop recombinant vaccines. It has been widely experimented in the field of antiviral therapy, starting with HIV in 2013 to SARS CoV-2 recently, with a series of modifications in structure and composition of CRISPR/Cas9 and delivery mechanisms to achieve the ever-increasing promising results. Herein, this review focused on the origin of CRISPR/Cas9 system, mechanism of action, advantages over existing gene-editing tools, its progress in antiviral therapy, vaccine development, delivery approaches, and challenges faced in the application of CRISPR/Cas9.