An international research team from academia and industry has developed a new CRISPR-based tool that can specifically recognize and kill cells based on their RNA transcriptome. When a specific RNA sequence is detected, the nuclease Cas12a2 triggers a non-specific cleavage of nucleic acids and thus leads to cell death – without affecting other cells.

The study, which has been published in the journal Nature , was conducted by the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg, the company Akribion Therapeutics in Zwingenberg, as well as the University of Utah and Utah State University. The researchers showed that Cas12a2 works with high precision in yeast and human cells: It kills only cells that contain the target RNA and spares all others. Off-target effects were not detectable.

The technology opens up a wide range of applications. It can specifically eliminate virus-infected cells, kill cancer cells with specific mutations or remove cells that have not been successfully altered during genome editing in order to improve the quality of therapy. The researchers see great potential for medicine, biotechnology and agriculture.

The technology offers a powerful tool for the sequence-specific killing of disease-causing cells, explained Paul Scholz of Akribion Therapeutics. Chase Beisel from HIRI added that unlike other nucleases such as Cas9, Cas12a2 not only cuts, but also destroys the entire DNA, effectively eliminating the cell.

The development is based on previous work by the HIRI team, which was already published in Nature in 2023. The researchers are now planning further development for clinical applications and the expansion of the technology.

Original paper:

RNA-triggered cell killing with CRISPR–Cas12a2 | Nature

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

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