End of CRISPR-CAS9 controversy
- IBS researchers develops ‘Digenome-seq’
to prove precision of CRISPR-CAS9 in Human Cells-
February 10th, 2015
The
IBS research team (Center for Genome Engineering) has successfully confirmed
that CRISPR-Cas9 has accurate on-target effects in human cells, through joint
research with the Seoul National University College of Medicine and ToolGen,
Inc.
There
has been great interest in CRISPR-Cas9 as a tool to develop anticancer cell
therapies or to correct genetic defects that cause hereditary in stem and
somatic cells. However, since there has been no reliable and sensitive method
to measure the accuracy of CRISPR-Cas9 genome-wide, its safety has remained in
question. Consequently, it has been difficult to eliminate the possibility that
CRISPR-Cas9 may induce mutations in off-target sequences that are similar to
on-target sequences. Off-target mutations in tumor suppressor genes, for
example, can cause cancer.
The
researchers have developed a technique termed Digenome-seq to locate both
on-target and off-target sequences that can be mutated by CRISPR-Cas9 via
genome sequencing. They digested human genomic DNA using Cas9 nucleases in a
test tube, which was then subjected by whole genome sequencing. This in vitro
digest yielded a unique pattern at both on-target and off-target sequences that
can be computationally identified. Furthermore, by adding guanine nucleotides
at the end of sgRNA(single guided RNA) that
composes CRISPR-Cas9, they have successfully created this highly-developed
programmable nuclease, which has no measurable off-target effects in the human
genome.
Jin-Soo
Kim, the director of the Center for Genome Engineering at IBS, as well as the
professor of the Department of Chemistry at Seoul National University says, “If
CRISPR-Cas9 truncates off-target DNA sequences, it might induce unwanted
mutations. Since we have succeeded in confirming the accuracy of CRISPR-Cas9,
we anticipate that there will be a great progress in the development of gene or
cell therapies,” emphasizing the significance of this research achievement.
Nature
Methods has also highlighted this achievement as one of the “2015 Methods to
Watch” in its January issue.
###
Notes
for editors
-
References
Daesik
Kim, Sangsu Bae, Jeongbin Park, Eunji Kim, Seokjoong Kim, Hye Ryeong Yu, Jinha
Hwang, Jong-Il Kim & Jin-Soo Kim.(2015) Nature Methods. doi:10.1038/nmeth.3284
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For further
information or to request media assistance, please contact: Mr. Shi Bo Shim, Head
of Department of Communications, Institute for Basic Science (+82-42-878-8189; sibo@ibs.re.kr)
or Ms. Sunny Kim, Department of Communications, Institute for Basic Science (+82-42-878-8135;
Sunnykim@ibs.re.kr)
About
Institute for Basic Science (IBS)
The IBS was founded in 2011 by the government of the Republic of Korea. With
the sole purpose of driving forward the development of basic science in Korea,
IBS will be comprised of a total of 50 research centers in all fields of basic
science, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, life science, earth science
and interdisciplinary science. IBS has launched 24 research centers as of January
2015. There is one mathematics, eight physics, six chemistry, seven life
science, and two interdisciplinary research centers.
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