To develop new methods that improve 'genome editing' accuracy - USA

Recently the NHK News On-line reported the following:

「ゲノム編集」の精度を向上 新たな手法開発 アメリカ

2019年2月5日 5時31分

遺伝情報を高い精度で簡単に書き換える「ゲノム編集」の技術を開発したアメリカの研究グループが、さらに精度の高い手法を開発したと発表しました。病気の治療など、応用に向けた研究がさらに進むか注目されます。

遺伝子情報を操作する「ゲノム編集」は、カリフォルニア大学のジェニファー・ダウドナ教授らのグループが2012年に発表した「クリスパー・キャス９」という新しい技術によって、ねらった部分の遺伝情報をそれまでよりも高い精度で簡単に書き換えられるようになり、病気の治療や動植物の品種改良などに応用する研究が世界で加速しています。

４日付けのイギリスの科学雑誌「ネイチャー」に発表された論文によりますと、ダウドナ教授らのグループは、病気を起こすおそれのない細菌から発見した、これまでよりも小さな酵素を使うことで、細胞の中でより正確に遺伝情報を操作できる手法を開発したということです。

グループは、この新しい手法を「クリスパー・キャスＸ」と名付け、実際にヒトの細胞で遺伝情報を操作できることも確認したということです。

現在の「ゲノム編集」は、それまでの遺伝子組換え技術と比べると数万倍から数十万倍の精度でねらった遺伝情報を操作できるとされていますが、ねらっていない部分も書き換えてしまうおそれが否定できないことから技術の改良が続いていて、今回の成果で病気の治療など、応用に向けた研究がさらに進むか注目されます。

Translation

An American research group that developed the "genome editing" technology that could easily rewrite genetic information with high precision had announced that a more accurate method was developed. Further advance on research regarding its applications on treatment of diseases etc. had attracted attention.

About "Genome editing" that manipulated genetic information which was a new technology known as  "CRISPR Cas9" announced in 2012 by Professor Jennifer Doudna of the University of California, now it became easier than before to rewrite genetic information of the targeted part with higher precision; research that applied it to the treatment of diseases and breeding of animals and plants was accelerating worldwide.

According to a paper published in the UK science magazine "Nature" on 4th,  it was said that Professor Doudna and her colleagues, from bacteria that were unlikely to cause disease, and by using enzymes smaller than before, a method that could manipulate genetic information more accurately was developed.

The group named this new method "CRISPR · CasX", also it was confirmed that this method could actually manipulate genetic information on human cells.

Although this "genome editing" was said to be able to manipulate genetic information at a level from several tens of thousands to several hundred thousand times more precise than the genetic recombination technology used so far, as it was not possible to avoid the possibility of rewriting the parts that were not targeted at, technological improvements were continuing. Because of the present success, attention had been drawn on further progress in the research for its application in areas such as the treatment of disease.

              It is nice to know that there is a great progress in the study of "genome editing". I hope it can help advancing the treatment of disease eventually.