The CRISPR Moment

CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) technology is ushering in a new era of gene and cell therapy, offering more precision and potential for treating genetic disorders, cancer, and infectious diseases.

- Dr Manbeena Chawla Executive Editor [e-mail]

Further, the integration of CRISPR technology with cancer immunotherapy, particularly through CAR and TCR-engineered T cells, NK cells, and tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), is exemplifying CRISPR's growing impact on personalised cancer treatments.

For instance, a team led by scientists at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard is using CRISPR technology to pinpoint genes that could be edited to boost the efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for cancer.

On the other hand, a groundbreaking new treatment using genome-edited immune cells, developed by scientists at University College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital, has shown promising results in helping children and adults fight a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer called T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (TALL).