Researchers point out that treatment with genomic editing technology "CRISPR / Cas 9" may increase the risk of cancer

Genome editing technologyCRISPR / Cas 9IsSafe treatment of hereditary diseasesIs expected to be realized. However, according to the research team of Bernhard Schmier, et al. Of the Karolinska Institute, genomic editing using CRISPR / Cas9 may increase the risk of developing cancer.

CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing induces a p53-mediated DNA damage response | Nature Medicine
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-018-0049-z

Genome-editing tool could increased cancer risk | News | News | Karolinska Institutet
https://ki.se/en/news/genome-editing-tool-could-increase-cancer-risk

By programming in advance, CRISPR / Cas9 can be moved to the exact place on the genome and you can cut the DNA in the moved position. With this technique it is possible to fix defective parts of DNA, and as of 2018 it can be used in the United States and China to actually treat cancer,Clinical trials are being conducted.

The research team of Karolinska Institute et al. And colleagues studies to further enhance the therapeutic effect of CRISPR / Cas 9 and is conducting experiments using CRISPR / Cas 9 for human cells.


The research team controls cell growth when CRISPR / Cas 9 cleaves human cell DNAp53 geneIt is confirmed that it is activated. We also confirmed that the efficiency of genome editing by CRISPR / Cas9 decreases when this p53 gene is activated.

The research team has shown that it is necessary to suppress the function of the p53 gene in order to enhance the therapeutic effect of CRISPR / Cas9. However, when suppressing the activity of the p53 gene, the research team notes that there is a risk that this cell eventually becomes a cause of cancer as it leads to the inability to control the growth of the cell after the DNA cleavage I will.

"CRISPR / Cas 9 has the possibility to do surprisingly effective treatment, but it is necessary to recognize the existence of side effects as well as other treatments," said Schmier, CRISPR / Cas 9 's possibility While acknowledging sex, we point out the existence of risk. For this reason, Schmier says, "It is important to understand the mechanism of p53 gene correctly to increase the safety of treatment with CRISPR / Cas 9".