The biotechnology startup Editas Medicine intends to begin tests of a powerful new form of gene-repair in humans within two years.
Speaking this week at the EmTech conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Editas CEO Katrine Bosley said the company hopes to start a clinical trial in 2017 to treat a rare form of blindness using CRISPR, a groundbreaking gene-editing technology.
If Editas’s plans move forward, the study would likely be the first to use CRISPR to edit the DNA of a person.
CRISPR technology was invented three years ago but is so precise and cheap to use it has quickly spread through biology laboratories. Already, scientists have used it to generate genetically engineered monkeys, and the technique has stirred debate over whether modified humans are next.
Editas is one of several startups, including Intellia Therapeutics and CRISPR Therapeutics, that have plans to use the technique to correct DNA disorders that affect children and adults. Bosley said that because CRISPR can “repair broken genes” it holds promise for treating several thousand inherited disorders caused by gene mistakes, most of which, like Huntington’s disease and cystic fibrosis, have no cure.
Sangamo Mention:
Although the Editas study could be the first for CRISPR in humans, it wouldn’t be the first clinical study of gene editing. An older method called zinc fingers is already in testing to treat HIV infection by the biotechnology company Sangamo Biosciences. But the versatility and ease with which CRISPR can change DNA means it may outpace earlier approaches.
Read more here:
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/543181/crispr-gene-editing-to-be-tested-on-people-by-2017-says-editas/
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