Aug 2026· Encyclopedia of Life Sciences· 37 references
Abstract
Abstract Gene editing technologies have evolved significantly over the past few decades, revolutionising biomedical research and therapeutics. Initially, restriction enzymes provided researchers with basic tools for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) manipulation. However, the advent of engineered nucleases, such as zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator‐like effector nucleases (TALENs), marked significant advancements for more precise and customisable genome modifications. The discovery of CRISPR–Cas9 further transformed gene editing, offering a more efficient, cost‐effective and versatile approach. The success of CRISPR in transgenic mouse generation and clinical trials is a testament to this. However, challenges such as off‐target effects, immunogenicity and ethical concerns surrounding germline editing and eugenics remain. This review will discuss the discovery, mechanisms and applications of gene editing tools as they have evolved. It will also introduce modern iterations of gene editing to tackle off‐target effects and the ethical responsibility that comes with it. Key Concepts Gene editing has evolved from restriction enzymes to programmable nucleases capable of precise genome modifications. Zinc finger nucleases were the first major platform for targeted DNA cleavage but came with technical challenges. Transcription activator‐like effector nucleases (TALENs) improved gene editing through simpler and more predictable DNA sequence recognition. CRISPR–Cas9 transformed gene editing by using guide RNA to direct efficient, low‐cost and scalable DNA targeting. Off‐target mutations, delivery barriers and immune responses remain major technical challenges for therapeutic gene editing. Newer iterations of the CRISPR–Cas system offer higher fidelity gene editing and applications beyond DNA cleavage. Germline editing, mosaicism, eugenics and informed consent remain central ethical concerns in gene editing.
It is concluded that bridging the gap between foundational CRISPR research and its real-world applications is imperative and future efforts should focus on democratizing tools via open-source platforms, advancing delivery systems, and fostering sustainable innovation through synthetic biology integration to fully realize the transformative potential of genome editing in organisms beyond model organisms.
S. Sarsaiya, Archana Jain, Jishuang Chen et al.· Biotechnology Advances· 2 citations
It is argued that formation of a tumour-intrinsic niche is a prerequisite for BRAF-mutant CRC seeding to distant organs and that interference with niche formation may help avoid metastatic relapse.
J. Bugter, L. El Bouazzaoui, E. Küçükköse et al.· bioRxiv· 2 citations
This review summarizes emerging therapeutic strategies for EOC, their mechanisms of action, and their potential to overcome treatment resistance, and covers molecularly targeted therapies, immunotherapies, metabolic and epigenetic approaches, cellular and gene therapies, targeted drug-delivery systems, and locoregional and physical modalities.
Zofia Pietrasik, Mikołaj Kapała, Joanna Pietrasik et al.· Cancers· 0 citations
Genetic engineering (GE) and gene editing may endow traits to trees such as increased biomass and the production of novel biomaterials. Long-lived organisms such as trees might be subject to biotechnology-related risks that could be different than those of annual row crops. Those risks could be relevant to production in engineered plantations and beyond plantations to natural forests. Therefore, appropriate risk regulation is important to assure biosafety of commercialized engineered trees. In addition to gene flow via sexual reproduction, vegetative reproduction might play an additional role in environmental "exposure" risk relative to transgene dispersal in GE tree plantations. While vegetative reproduction is beneficial for preserving desired genetic traits during tree propagation, it may lead to proximal clonal spread in the field. Although the environmental risks associated with vegetative reproduction of GE trees are recognized in commercial forestry, there are few field-based environmental risk assessment (ERA) studies on dispersal risks of self-propagated GE trees. GE or gene editing of target genes involved in the vegetative propagation processes may be useful to mitigate environmental risks of clonal spread through vegetative reproduction. This review provides updates for recent field test results of GE and gene edited trees. Gene candidates related to vegetative reproduction including adventitious shooting (AS) and adventitious rooting (AR) are discussed herein as a means to mitigate unintended clonal spread from GE tree plantations.
Findings establish Cas7-11 as a precise and efficient RNA knockdown tool for functional studies in embryonic development and stem cell biology, providing a versatile alternative to DNA-based gene-editing approaches.
Huan Yan, Imtiaz Ul Hassan, Kai Yan et al.· Cell & Bioscience· 0 citations
A new method for surgically removing training examples from a model reveals that as datasets grow, the link between what a model learns and what it produces dissolves.
MIT News · Artificial Intelligence· news.mit.eduAug 17, 2026