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Key CRISPR Gene Editing Methods Might Not Work for Most Humans

posted by janrinok on Tuesday January 09 2018, @06:46PM   Printer-friendly
from the patient-cured-to-death dept.

Fnord666 writes:

At first glance, CRISPR gene editing looks like the solution to all the world's ills: it could treat or even cure diseases, improve birth rates and otherwise fix genetic conditions that previously seemed permanent. You might want to keep your expectations low, though. Scientists have published preliminary findings indicating that two variants of CRISPR Cas9 (the most common gene editing technique) might not work for most humans. In a study, between 65 percent and 79 percent of subjects had antibodies that would fight Cas9 proteins.

The potential reaction isn't shocking. Both Cas9 variants are based on common bacteria, S. aureus and S. pyrogenes, that tend to infect humans. However, that could also produce reactions that would be... unpleasant. At the least, they could "hinder the safe and effective use" of CRISPR to treat disease. And in the worst cases, they could result in "significant toxicity" for patients.

It's important to stress that the research hasn't been peer-reviewed yet. Geneticists might not need to go back to the drawing board just yet.

Source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/01/07/crispr-gene-editing-methods-might-not-work-for-most-humans/

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  • (Score: 3, Touché) by maxwell demon on Tuesday January 09 2018, @08:09PM (1 child)

    by maxwell demon (1608) on Tuesday January 09 2018, @08:09PM (#620186) Journal

    On the positive side, this means that code injection attacks might not work on humans. ;-)

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  • (Score: 2) by EvilSS on Tuesday January 09 2018, @08:58PM

    by EvilSS (1456) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 09 2018, @08:58PM (#620210)
    Well it won't work against those patched against the specific exploits at least.