CRISPR News and Research

RSS

In the late 1980s and mid-1990s, genomes of diverse lineages of bacteria and archaea (the latter representing a domain of single-celled prokaryotic microorganisms) revealed clusters of regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, known today under the abbreviation CRISPR. Later it was found that these repeat sequences (previously considered disparate) share a common set of features.

Genomewide CRISPR Screen Reveals Unexpected Structural Protein Link Behind Chronic Colon Inflammation

Since a landmark 2009 study, researchers have known that a common gut bacterium, Bacteroides fragilis, drives colon tumor formation, potentially leading to colorectal cancer, by secreting a toxin that damages the lining of the colon. But until now, the exact mechanism the toxin uses to latch onto those cells remained a mystery.

25 May 2026

Synthetic Biology and Artificial Intelligence Transform the Discovery of Mysterious Orphan Receptors

A new review highlights how synthetic biology, AI, and spatial omics could transform ligand-receptor discovery from one-by-one searches into network-level mapping

23 May 2026

Essential Keratin Guides Embryonic Cell Movement in Developing Zebrafish

Hair, nails, and horns, all made up of keratin, are some of the hardest and most resilient structures in animals. Inside zebrafish cells, keratin plays a distinct role, giving them the strength they need to move together as a coherent tissue while modulating the driving forces behind their movement during early development. But what happens when keratin is missing?

22 May 2026

DNA-Guided CRISPR Technology Enhances Precision and Reduces Off-Target Effects

A team of engineers at the University of Florida has developed a new form of CRISPR technology that could make diagnostics and treatments safer, more precise and more affordable, while opening the door to entirely new ways of controlling disease.

15 May 2026

Prime Assembly Enables Precise Insertion of Large DNA Segments Into the Genome

Researchers at UMass Chan Medical School have developed a gene editing technology that allows for the precise and efficient insertion of very large DNA segments into the human genome.

13 May 2026

New CRISPR System Destroys Diseased Cells With High Precision

A new kind of CRISPR that destroys cells rather than gene editing them has shown potential for killing sick cells while leaving healthy cells untouched.

8 May 2026

Scientists Discover Viral Strategy That Disables Bacterial CRISPR Immunity

Bacteria fend off invading viruses with molecular scissors that slice up viral DNA - a system called CRISPR that's become indispensable to gene editing.

8 May 2026

Breakthrough CRISPR Discovery Enables Selective Destruction of Cancerous Cells

Among the challenges in treating disease, including cancer, is wiping out malignancies, infection, contaminants or other pathologies, without destroying healthy tissue.

7 May 2026

Interactions Across the Genome Drive Neurodevelopmental Risks

People who have the same deletion of a section of chromosome 16 are susceptible to neurodevelopmental disorders; however, some may simply show moderate psychological symptoms like anxiety or depression, while others may have significant intellectual disability or developmental delay.

6 May 2026

Plant Peroxisome Study Offers New Insights Into Conserved Cellular Functions

For most of their lives, plants get their energy from photosynthesis. But during the seed to seedling stage when they can't absorb light just yet, they rely on other sources, like fatty acids.

25 Apr 2026

Scientists Map Human Genes That Control HIV Infection Dynamics

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which is the cause of AIDS, is a master of deception, using just nine genes to hijack the complex cellular machinery of the human body.

21 Apr 2026

Regulatory Genetic Elements Coordinate Temporal Activity of Key Developmental Gene

In a new study published in Genes & Development, research led by Dr Lila Allou at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) in London and Professor Stefan Mundlos at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics and Charité in Berlin demonstrates how different regulatory genetic elements coordinate the temporal activity of a key developmental gene.

20 Apr 2026

Gene Editing Reprograms Immune System to Produce Therapeutic Proteins

An innovative gene-editing strategy could establish a new way for the body to manufacture therapeutic proteins-including certain kinds of highly potent antibodies the are naturally difficult to produce-by reprogramming the immune system itself.

20 Apr 2026

Single-Letter Insertion in Non-Coding DNA can Alter Sex Development in Mice

Researchers at Bar-Ilan University have discovered that changing just one letter in DNA can completely alter sex development in mice.

11 Apr 2026

Study Reveals Pol Theta Role in Cancer DNA Repair

A cancer drug target already being investigated in clinical trials turns out to be doing something even more consequential than researchers realized.

8 Apr 2026

New Gene-Editing Approach Eliminates Painful Crises in Sickle Cell Disease

New results from a clinical trial show promising outcomes for a gene-edited treatment for severe sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder with few curative options.

2 Apr 2026

Nonviral Nanoparticles Show Promise for Safer Gene Delivery Methods

In a demonstration that helps pave the way for gene therapies with fewer side effects, several human cell types were genetically modified with protein nanoparticles designed at University of Michigan Engineering and Michigan Medicine.

1 Apr 2026

New Computational Tools Improve Gene Function Determination Within Fungal Organisms

While RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has become a standard tool for profiling which genes are active in an organism, determining the actual biological functions of those genes in fungi remains a significant technical challenge. Most existing software tools are designed to cover a broad range of species, often lacking the specificity required for the unique genetic landscape of fungi.

31 Mar 2026

Newly Discovered CRISPR System Activates Genes Without Cutting DNA

In back-to-back studies published in Nature, researchers from Purdue University and Columbia University report a naturally evolved gene-editing system that can activate genes, offering an advantage over existing CRISPR gene-editing systems that merely find and cut DNA.

26 Mar 2026