CRISPR stops coronavirus replication in human cells

An illustration of gene editing.
Gene drives replace a natural gene with a new gene, which then gets passed on from generation to generation. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Scientists have harnessed CRISPR gene-editing technology to block the replication of the novel coronavirus in human cells — an approach that could one day serve as a new treatment for COVID-19.

However, the study was performed in lab dishes and has not yet been tested on animals or people, meaning a treatment based on the method could be years away.

CRISPR is a tool that enables researchers to precisely edit DNA. It's based on a natural defense system used in bacteria that allows the microbes to target and destroy the genetic material of viruses, Live Science previously reported.

The researchers designed CRISPR-Cas13b to target specific sites on the RNA of SARS-CoV-2; once the enzyme binds to the RNA, it destroys the part of the virus needed to replicate, according to a statement from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Victoria, Australia, which collaborated on the research. 

"Once the virus is recognized, the CRISPR enzyme is activated and chops up the virus," study lead author Dr. Sharon Lewin, of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne, told AFP.

Effective COVID-19 vaccines are currently being distributed around the world, but there remains a "clear and urgent need" for effective treatments for the disease, the authors said. They noted that there are "serious concerns" that the virus will evolve to "escape" current vaccines.

An ideal treatment would be an antiviral drug that patients take shortly after being diagnosed with COVID-19. "This approach — test and treat —  would only be feasible if we have a cheap, oral and non-toxic antiviral. That's what we hope to achieve one day with this gene scissors approach," Lewin told AFP.

Although the new study is a first step toward such a treatment, it will likely be years before this method could be turned into a treatment that's widely available, AFP reported. The researchers now plan to test the method in animal models, and eventually conduct clinical trials in people.

Medicines that use CRISPR technology have not yet been approved to treat any diseases, but multiple studies are underway to test CRISPR-based therapies in people as a treatment for various diseases, including cancer and HIV.

Originally published on Live Science.  

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Rachael Rettner
Contributor

Rachael is a Live Science contributor, and was a former channel editor and senior writer for Live Science between 2010 and 2022. She has a master's degree in journalism from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. She also holds a B.S. in molecular biology and an M.S. in biology from the University of California, San Diego. Her work has appeared in Scienceline, The Washington Post and Scientific American.