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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

The CRISPR–Cas9 tool enables scientists to alter genomes practically at will. Hailed as dramatically easier, cheaper and more versatile than previous technologies, it has blazed through labs around the world, finding new applications in medicine and basic research.

But for all the devotion, CRISPR–Cas9 has its limitations. It is excellent at going to a particular location on the genome and cutting there, says bioengineer Prashant Mali at the University of California, San Diego. "But sometimes your application of interest demands a bit more."

The zeal with which researchers jumped on a possible new gene-editing system called NgAgo earlier this year reveals an undercurrent of frustration with CRISPR–Cas9 — and a drive to find alternatives. "It's a reminder of how fragile every new technology is," says George Church, a geneticist at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

NgAgo is just one of a growing library of gene-editing tools. Some are variations on the CRISPR theme; others offer new ways to edit genomes.

[Continues...]

Other editing methods are:

• A Mini-Me
• Expanded Reach
• True Editors
• Pursuing Argonautes
• Programming Enzymes

Each is described more fully in TFA which, if you know as little as I do about the subject, is both interesting and informative.

Original Submission