Scientists engineer CRISPR system that selectively destroys p53-mutant cancer cells
Researchers led by Jennifer Doudna engineered a CRISPR system that detects mutant p53 cancer cells and triggers their self-destruction, offering a new strategy against one of oncology's most stubborn targets.
By Ryan Merket · Published
Primary source: Innovative Genomics Institute
Why it matters
The result points to a different cancer-editing playbook: using CRISPR as a selective kill switch rather than a repair tool. The hard part remains delivery.
Researchers affiliated with the Innovative Genomics Institute have developed a CRISPR-based system that selectively kills cancer cells carrying mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene, one of the most common genetic drivers of human cancer.
The work, published in the journal Nature, describes an experimental approach that uses CRISPR not to repair damaged DNA, but to identify cancer cells and trigger their destruction from within.…
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.