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takyon writes:

Scientists Create New, More Powerful Technique To Edit Genes

Scientists have created a new way to edit DNA that appears to make it even easier to precisely and safely re-write genes. The new technique, called prime editing, is designed to overcome some of the limitations of CRISPR. That technique, often described as a kind of molecular scissors for genes, has been revolutionizing scientific research by letting scientists alter DNA.

"It's proven difficult to use these molecular scissors to make precise DNA changes in most cell types," says David Liu, a biologist at Harvard, MIT and the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Mass. Liu heads the lab where the new prime editing technique was created in research led by Andrew Anzalone. The advance is described in the journal Nature^[$] [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1711-4] [DX], in an article published Monday.

One advantage of the new editing technique is that, unlike CRISPR, prime editing doesn't rely on the ability of a cell to divide to help make the desired changes in DNA. That means it could be used to correct genetic mutations in cells that often don't divide, such as cells in the nervous system. Many diseases are caused by mutations in genes in those cells, such as Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. In addition, the new method doesn't cut both strands of the DNA double helix, minimizing the chances of making unintended changes that could be dangerous, Liu says.

Also at CNN.

See also: Gene editing like Crispr is too important to be left to scientists alone

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