Key points from article :
A new way to directly deliver gene-editing tools into specific tissues & organs in mouse models has been developed.
Such tools include CRISPR that can add, remove or change a gene precisely.
Used to treat diseases like sickle cell anaemia, multiple myeloma and liposarcoma .
Targeting such treatments to specific tissues has been difficult and expensive.
Led by Qiaobing Xu, researchers have found a way to package such gene editing kits so they could be injected into target cells.
Tiny bubbles of lipid molecules called lipid nanoparticles (LNP) that can envelop the editing enzymes and carry them to specific cells or tissues were used.
These applications could open new line of strategy in the treatment of neurological conditions, cancers, infections, and autoimmune diseases.
Clinical trials will be needed to determine the efficacy and safety of the delivery method in humans.
Study by Tufts University published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2020.
