A first for CRISPR: powerful prime editing alters DNA directly in the human body
- Earlier this month, Prime Medicine, a biotechnology company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced it treated the first person in a clinical trial using prime editing to rewrite DNA directly within the human body to treat Wilson disease.
- Wilson disease, caused by ATP7B gene mutations, leads to toxic copper buildup in the liver; prime editing acts as a microscopic word processor to insert or delete DNA segments with precision.
- Performing gene editing in vivo eliminates the need for extracting patient cells and harsh chemotherapy; biotechnology analyst Joseph Thome at Cowen noted this approach could drastically cut production costs.
- Rhonda Rowland, president of the Wilson Disease Association in Atlanta, Georgia, said, "I never dreamed that in my lifetime I would see this applied to my rare disease." She called it an exciting year.
- Biomedical engineer Krishanu Saha at the University of Wisconsin in Madison cautioned that delivering gene-editing tools precisely to target organs remains "the core challenge," as Prime Medicine expects to announce trial results next year.
12 Articles
12 Articles
The Independent
The Independent (US)Scientists edit human DNA inside the body for the first time
Experts hope technique could pave the way for faster and cheaper genetic therapies
There was a revolutionary development in the world of medicine that would be groundbreaking. The advanced gene editing method “prime editing”, which can directly modify DNA in the human body, has been applied to a living human for the first time worldwide. Used to treat a rare genetic disease that can cause severe damage to the liver and nervous system, this technique opens the doors to a new era in the field of genetic medicine.
For the first time, the specialists carried out a genetic editing procedure "in vivo, directly in the patient's body, which has many benefits, but also comes with increased risks. The premiere is part of a test that considers a new technique of...
A next-generation gene-editing therapy that directly corrects faulty DNA base sequences causing disease within the human body has been administered to a patient for the first time. The method involves injecting a gene-editing tool into the bloodstream to modify DNA within liver cells. On the 5th, the U.S. biotechnology company Prime Medicine administered the next-generation gene-editing therapy ‘PM577a’ for the first time to a patient with Wilso…
A first for CRISPR: powerful prime editing alters DNA directly in the human body
Nature, Published online: 22 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03371-xApplication of the high-precision technique is part of a clinical trial to treat a genetic disease that can cause liver and nerve damage.
A revolutionary breakthrough has occurred in the medical world. "Prime editing," an advanced gene editing method capable of directly altering DNA in the human body, has been applied to a living human for the first time worldwide. This technique, used in the treatment of a rare genetic disease that can cause severe damage to the liver and nervous system, is opening a new era in genetic medicine. 🚆
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