New CRISPR proteins expand editing access to heart disease genes
Rice University's Han Xiao has used his AI-supported Sequence Display technology to expand the targeting abilities of CRISPR/Cas9. In a paper recently published in Nature Communications, Xiao evolved several variants of a compact Cas9 that could efficiently target stretches of DNA previously inaccessible for editing. The research included a proof-of-concept study in which the evolved Cas9s were…
Rice University researcher Han Xiao has utilized AI-supported Sequence Display technology to enhance the targeting capabilities of CRISPR/Cas9 enzymes. The development involves creating several new variants of the compact Cas9 enzyme, which can efficiently target previously inaccessible stretches of DNA. In a recent study published in Nature Communications, Xiao's team demonstrated the success of these evolved Cas9 enzymes in editing two genes associated with coronary heart disease.
CRISPR/Cas9 relies on the enzyme recognizing a specific DNA sequence, known as a protospacer adjacent motif (PAM), to initiate the editing process. However, some genes have slippery PAMs that are difficult to edit using standard Cas9 enzymes. By employing Sequence Display technology, Xiao's team was able to rapidly evolve new Cas9 variants that could better recognize and bind to these challenging PAMs.
This breakthrough allows for precise and efficient editing of genes that were previously difficult to target using conventional CRISPR methods, unlocking the potential of CRISPR for biomedical engineering applications.
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