CRISPR Eliminates Targeted Tumors by 50 Percent

In an unprecedented procedure, CRISPR gene editing has been used to treat cancer. 

A research team from Tel Aviv University, led by Razan Masarwy, successfully used CRISPR to cut a gene from head and neck cancers. Following the procedure, 50 percent of the targeted tumors disappeared 84 days after treatment. Their findings were published in Advanced Science.

Dan Peer, Director of the Laboratory of Precision Nanomedicine, and his colleagues are pioneers in mRNA-based therapeutics and drug development. In 2020, the team was the first in the world to use CRISPR to cut genes from cancer cells in mice and are now the first to apply the same procedure to head and neck cancers.

For this particular study, the team created fat-like molecules to form a protective shell around the CRISPR system. The protective lipid layer helps the CRISPR system enter targeted cells more effectively.  Using a targeted drug delivery system, the treatment was able to be applied directly to the tumor to maximize effectiveness. This application allowed the gene-editing tool to eliminate that portion of the cancer gene, effectively cutting the gene out from the cancer cell’s DNA.

Read More: CRISPR Gene Editing: Moving Closer To Home

After three injections delivered on a weekly basis, the research team saw the exact results they predicted and were hoping for. 

“Our aim was to use genetic editing of a single gene expressed in this type of cancer to collapse the entire pyramid of the cancerous cell,” said Peer in a press release.  

The pyramid did collapse, and 50 percent of the targeted cancerous tumors disappeared after 84 days, a result that was not replicated in the control group who didn’t receive the CRISPR procedure.

As many people know, cancer is a complex disease to identify and treat. For a long time, it was believed that CRISPR wouldn’t be a viable cancer treatment, either. However, these new findings challenge that assumption.

“Until now, CRISPR wasn’t used for cancer because it was assumed that knocking out a single gene wouldn’t topple the whole structure. We demonstrate that some genes are absolutely essential for cancer cell survival, making them excellent targets for CRISPR therapy,” said the research team in a press release.

Although possible, targeting tumors using gene therapy still isn’t a simple process. In the Advanced Science study, researchers explain why tumors are so difficult to target using CRISPR.  

The replicative nature of tumors poses a challenge. Due to tumors' high rate of reproducibility, editing a small number of cells may not be enough to reverse the progression of cancer. Additionally, tumors are tough, and their dense barriers can impede uptake and restrict access to the necessary genes. 

Even though there are some roadblocks, the CRISPR approach to cancer treatment has the potential to be effective against many types of cancer. Particularly, gene editing works best on visible and accessible tumors, like those in the head and neck, breast, thyroid, and skin. 

Head and neck cancer currently has the fifth-highest mortality rate where cancer types are concerned, so the use of CRISPR to cut cancer genes of this type holds immense potential and could save countless lives.

The team behind this groundbreaking procedure is already working hard on broadening its use to additional cancer types, including myeloma, lymphoma, and liver cancer.

Read More: Why Is It So Hard to Find a Cure for Cancer?

Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:

• Advanced Science. Targeted CRISPR/Cas9 Lipid Nanoparticles Elicits Therapeutic Genome Editing in Head and Neck Cancer

As the marketing coordinator at Discover Magazine, Stephanie Edwards interacts with readers across Discover's social media channels and writes digital content. Offline, she is a contract lecturer in English & Cultural Studies at Lakehead University, teaching courses on everything from professional communication to Taylor Swift, and received her graduate degrees in the same department from McMaster University. You can find more of her science writing in Lab Manager and her short fiction in anthologies and literary magazine across the horror genre.