New CRISPR Tool Selectively Cuts Tumor DNA While Sparing Healthy Cells

New CRISPR tool selectively cuts tumor DNA while sparing healthy cells

Cancer cells excel at evading detection, but subtle chemical differences set them apart from healthy cells.

Molecular basis for methylation-sensitive editing by Cas9

The bacterial CRISPR–Cas9 (Cas9) nuclease has become a powerful genome manipulation tool for a wide range of organisms1–3. However, it has yet to fully leverage the pervasive presence of DNA methylation in genomes4–10. Here, to fill this gap, we report biochemical, structural and human genome-editing characterizations of a methylation-sensitive Cas9 (ThermoCas9). ThermoCas9 efficiently binds to and cleaves DNA upstream of its protospacer adjacen…

Targeting tumour DNA with CRISPR variant

Cancer cells excel at evading detection, but subtle chemical differences set them apart from healthy cells. Now, a team of scientists from Wageningen University & Research and Van Andel Institute has identified a way to exploit this distinction.

ThermoCas9: Gene Editor Targets Cells with Disease-Related Hypomethylation

Research led by Wageningen University in the Netherlands and the Van Andel Institute (VAI) in Michigan has shown that ThermoCas9, a variant of CRISPR, can distinguish tumor DNA from healthy DNA and selectively cut only the former, marking a potential step toward a highly precise cancer therapy. The method relies on DNA methylation, a process in which methyl groups are added to DNA to regulate whether genes are on or off. In cancer cells, DNA met…

Molecular basis of methylation-sensitive editing by Cas9

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