CRISPR/Cas9, the Powerful New Genome-Editing Tool for Putative Therapeutics in Obesity

Abstract

The molecular technology known as clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) is revolutionizing the field of medical research and deepening our understanding of numerous biological processes. The attraction of CRISPR/Cas9 lies in its ability to efficiently edit DNA or modulate gene expression in living eukaryotic cells and organisms, a technology that was once considered either too expensive or scientifically risky. CRISPR/Cas9 has been successfully applied in agriculture to develop the next generation of disease-resistant plants. Now, the capability of gene editing has been translated to the biomedical area, focusing on the future of medicine faced with drug-resistant microbes by selectively targeting genes involved in antibiotic resistance, for example, or finding the ultimate strategy for cancer or HIV. In this regard, it was recently demonstrated that an injection of cancer-fighting CRISPR-modified white blood cells in a patient suffering from metastatic lung cancer could lead to promising results. Researchers and bioethicists are debating questions about the regulation of CRISPR/Cas9 that must be addressed. While legal challenges surround the use of this technique for genetically modifying cell lines in humans, we review the basic understanding of CRISPR/Cas9 and discuss how this technology could represent a candidate for treatment of non-communicable diseases in nutrition, such as obesity.

CRISPR/Cas9 – An evolving biological tool kit for cancer biology and oncology

“…Only patients who exhibit a certain mutation or altered gene expression respond to the targeted drug treatment and drug resistance to the therapy still occurs. 33 Functional genome-screening approaches using the CRISPR system could reveal gene expression changes after treatment and pinpoint genes associated with resistance to the targeted drugs, thereby identifying new biomarkers for precision therapy and providing new insights into cancer development. 34 One successful example involved screening for a cancer metastasis-related gene with a CRISPR-Cas9-mediated loss-of-function screen.…”

Obesità: genetica e dintorni

“…Di recente, gli studi di associazione sul genoma (GWAS) hanno dimostrato che diversi geni sono legati all'obesità e questi risultati fanno luce su un numero crescente di nuove potenziali terapie per la gestione del peso, compreso l'editing genomico. A questo proposito, la tecnologia molecolare nota come clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas), grazie alla sua capacità di modificare il DNA o modulare l'espressione genica nelle cellule eucariotiche, rappresenta senza dubbio una valida tecnologia per comprendere i meccanismi genetici implicati nell'obesità e potrebbe essere un promettente strumento per il suo trattamento [4].…”

Delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 by Novel Strategies for Gene Therapy

“…The advanced CRISPR/Cas9 technology provides a powerful toolbox for gene correction to cure diseases. In recent years, many gene‐related diseases such as immunodeficiency, obesity, granulomatous disease, muscular dystrophy, Huntington's disease, hemophilia, hereditary tyrosinemia, cardiac syndrome, and metabolic liver disease have been treated by the CRISPR/Cas9 system. However, owing to its large size (Cas9 expression plasmids usually exceed 9.3 kb), the low transfection efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 is still a huge obstacle hindering its wider and deeper application.…”