• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Genomics

Improving Genome Editing With Drugs

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
February 6, 2015
in Genomics
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

One of the most exciting scientific advances made in recent years is CRISPR—the ability to precisely edit the genome of cells. However, although this method has incredible potential, the process is extremely inefficient. Fortunately, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered a way to enhance the efficiency of CRISPR with the introduction of a few key chemical compounds.

Gladstone Institutes

“Currently, there is a trade-off with CRISPR: the technology is very precise, but it is also quite inefficient,” says first author Chen Yu, a postdoctoral fellow at the Gladstone Institutes. “We improved this by introducing small molecules that are able to maintain the precision of the technology while boosting its efficiency.”

In CRISPR, a protein is delivered into the cell that cuts the genome at an exact specified location. The cell’s DNA can then either fuse back together after the faulty gene is removed, or scientists can insert a new gene in the old one’s place, substituting bad DNA for good.

Published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, the researchers, in collaboration with co-senior author Lei Stanley Qi, PhD, at Stanford University, successfully identified two small molecules that significantly improve the insertion of new genetic information into a cell’s DNA. During their search, the scientists also discovered two compounds that inhibit insertion but enhance deletion of DNA, suggesting the two processes are competitive actions in the cell.

Notably, the researchers were able to accomplish this genome manipulation in several different cell lines, including induced pluripotent stem cells and tissue-specific cells. This is particularly important as it indicates the method can be used in a variety of cell types to create disease models and contribute to the discovery of new disease-specific therapeutics.

Senior author Sheng Ding, PhD, a senior investigator at Gladstone, says that the potential of this discovery extends beyond improving the efficiency of CRISPR. “This study is the first to show that we can successfully manipulate genome engineering using small molecules. This gives us greater capability, enabling us to tune the machinery and also turn it on or off with chemicals, which has important implications for regulating the genome editing process.”

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Gladstone Institutes.

Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

3-D maps of folded genome

December 13, 2014

Research reveals structure of key CRISPR complex

December 11, 2014

Cell Smashes and Rebuilds Its Own Genome

September 9, 2014

Will Genomics Soon Explain the Human Brain Gain?

August 14, 2014
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • blank

    Breakthrough in Computer Hardware Advances Solves Complex Optimization Challenges

    151 shares
    Share 60 Tweet 38
  • New Drug Formulation Transforms Intravenous Treatments into Rapid Injections

    116 shares
    Share 46 Tweet 29
  • First Confirmed Human Mpox Clade Ib Case China

    56 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14
  • Physicists Develop Visible Time Crystal for the First Time

    50 shares
    Share 20 Tweet 13

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

University of Minnesota Medical School Secures $3.3 Million NIH Grant for Groundbreaking 5-Year Study on Infants Born with CMV

Gemini South Uncovers Elusive Cloud-Forming Chemical on Ancient Brown Dwarf

Breakthrough Research Unveils Promising Route to Enhanced Durability in Flexible Electronics

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.