Herpes Could Finally Be Cured With CRISPR According to Study

Scientists are saying that gene hacking techniques recently used for the first time in human cells could one day lead to doctors shredding up and destroying viruses such as hepatitis B or herpes inside human cells.

Case study

Herpes Sores

Herpes Sores

This new technique is referred to as CRISPR-Cas3. Once you hear about the CRISPR tech, it is normally the Cas9 variety. A university published press release by Cornell Researchers suggests that it could be used in the cure of viral diseases such as Herpes and Hepatitis.

Long stretches of the human DNA were identified and shredded using Cas3. This is in accordance with research that was published last week in the journal Molecular Cell.

DNA sequences were located and whole stretches were deleted using the new method. This is in contrast to the way CRISPR-Cas9 located and snipped genetic material.

The use of this method could lead to scientists learning quickly what the long stretches of genetic information do. It could also help in knowing how the long stretches of genetic information interact with various diseases. This also implies that viral DNA could be attacked.

Conclusion

Ailong Ke, a Cornell molecular biologist said that their lab had spent the last ten years trying to figure out the way CRISPR-Cas9 worked. He said that he was thrilled since he and his colleagues were finally able to demonstrate its activity of genome editing in human cells.

He said that they could make their tools target these viruses very exclusively and be able to wipe them out very effectively. Theoretically, a cure for the viral diseases could be produced using these tools.

Controlling the amount of DNA the new CRISPR deletes is a huge limitation at the moment. Researchers will, however, be working on this.

Ke said that it would not be possible to precisely define the deletion boundaries. That happens to be the shortcoming when it comes to therapeutics.

References

https://www.cdc.gov/herpes/about/

Potential Application of the CRISPR/Cas9 System against Herpesvirus Infections

Robitzski, F. D. (2019, 04 18). Science alert. Retrieved 04 19, 2019, from www.sciencealert.com: https://www.sciencealert.com/newly-invented-application-of-crispr-could-actually-cure-herpes-one-day

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