In the accompanying review by Ekman et al,
1
the CRISPR gene editing system is described along with examples of potential clinical
applications of import for surgeons. Broadly considered, CRISPR capitalizes on RNA-guided
site specificity to make precise, single-stranded breaks in genomic DNA to facilitate
insertions, deletions, and knock-in or knock-out mutations.
2
Gene editing that is effective, specific, and sustainable has long been a dream for
biologists. As a result, this technology has been received with great enthusiasm because
it is more efficient, technically simpler, can be reprogrammed quickly, and is relatively
inexpensive relative to the technology of zinc finger nuclease and transcription factor-like
effector nucleases. As with much of the new biotechnology created in the past 50 years,
however, the host immune response, unintended editing events, off-target effects,
creation of mosaic genomes (combination of edited and unedited target genes), and
even the important ethics of genetic intervention, especially with germline mutations,
are among some of the concerns surrounding generalized, widespread implementation
of CRISPR for human therapy.
3
,
4
,
5
Additional research and time will determine whether CRISPR technology will have an
impact similar to polymerase chain reaction, vaccine therapy, and genomics, or if
it will have the same fate as other biotechnology that are now historic vignettes,
such as Xigris, differential display, and aprotinin.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 25, 2019
Accepted:
March 21,
2019
Footnotes
Conflicts of interest: The author has indicated that he has no conflict of interest regarding the content of this article.
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
ScienceDirect
Access this article on ScienceDirectLinked Article
- CRISPR-mediated gene editing for the surgeon scientistSurgeryVol. 166Issue 2
- PreviewTremendous advances have occurred in gene editing during the past 20 years with the development of a number of systems. The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)–associated protein 9 (Cas9) system represents an exciting area of research. This review examines both the relevant studies pertaining to the history, current status, and modifications of this system, in comparison with other gene-editing systems and future applications, and limitations of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system, with a focus on applications of relevance to the surgeon scientist.
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