CMN Weekly (20 August 2021)

Top picks

• A team led by Feng Zhang has developed a novel mRNA delivery system that exploits a human protein to package, secrete and deliver specific RNAs to cells. The new system, called SEND, harnesses the ability of the human protein PEG10 to bind to its own mRNA and form a protective capsule around it. The researchers engineered PEG10 to take on RNA cargoes of their choice and successfully delivered the system to mouse and human cells. The findings were published in Science today.
• What If You Could Become Invisible to Mosquitoes? A writeup in the New York Times about recent findings that CRISPR could be used to engineer mosquitoes so that they are blind to human hosts. The researchers behind the work hope that the findings may one day inform strategies to control mosquito populations. The original research article is published in Current Biology.
• CRISPR gene editing: The key benefits (and risks) of modifying our natural world. A piece in Science Focus that explores the consequences of genome-editing tools.

Research

• Researchers in the US have developed Multiplexed Intermixed CRISPR Droplets (MIC-Drop), a platform that facilitates large-scale functional genetic screens in vivo CRISPR screens in zebrafish and other model organisms. The platform combines droplet microfluidics, single-needle en masse CRISPR ribonucleoprotein injections, and DNA barcoding. The work was published yesterday in Science.
• Scientists at Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Harvard Medical School have repurposed CRISPR technology to identify antibodies in patient blood samples in a move that could inspire a new class of medical diagnostics in addition to a host of other applications. The technique is called ‘peptide immobilization by Cas9-mediated self-organization’ (PICASSO) and it works through the generation of bespoke peptide libraries that are fused to catalytically inactive Cas9 (dCas9) and barcoded with unique single guide RNA (sgRNA) molecules. These can self-assemble from a single mixed pool to programmable positions on a DNA microarray surface for rapid, multiplexed binding assays that can detect antibodies in human blood samples. The findings were recently published in Molecular Cell.
• Researchers in Denmark and Austria have developed CRISPRa and CRISPRi platforms based on RNA or ribonucleoprotein (RNP) delivery by electroporation, and they demonstrate transient, programmable gene regulation in primary cells, including human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and CD3⁺ T cells. The researchers believe that these technologies will be useful for engineering the transcriptome for studies of stem cell biology and gene function, and predict future applications within cellular therapeutic development. The findings were published in Genome Research this week.

Editorial

• Gene therapies should be for all Pioneers and patents. A popular editorial recently published in Nature Medicine that asks whether healthcare systems are prepared to deal with the cost and accessibility of gene therapies on a global scale.

Reviews

• From genome scissors to molecular scalpel: evolution of CRISPR systems. This review highlights some of the key events and players from over 30 years of research in the CRISPR field.
• Potential of CRISPR/Cas system in the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection. Many new CRISPR-based tools for diagnostics have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. This review summarises the potential of CRISPR-Cas for diagnosis and control of COVID-19. You can also read our recent coverage on the topic here.

Conferences and webinars

• Accelerating Research From Discovery to Clinic with Industrialized CRISPR. A 3-day free virtual event hosted by Synthego Corporation. August 31^st - September 2^nd. More information and signup here.
• The Prospect of Genome Editing in Reproductive Medicine. Scientific webinar hosted by Progenesis Academy, a San Diego-based company that develops and offers genetic testing services for patients throughout their family planning journey.

Jobs

• Looking for a job in CRISPR? Then look no further than CMN Jobs where we regularly add new positions within CRISPR medicine, gene therapy and cell therapy. Check out the current listings right here.

Huh, Heh, Wow

• A Fish Called CRISPR: Blocking Melanin to Boost Commercial Demand for Tilapia: Scientists at Israel’s Agricultural Research Organisation have deployed CRISPR-Cas9 to create a new strain of the tilapia fish that does not develop suspicious blotches on their skin. This leaves the fish with appealing, uniform, red skins that hikes up their commercial value. Read the original research article, which was published in The CRISPR Journal earlier this week, here.