A programmable tool called seekRNA pioneers accurate gene editing beyond CRISPR and promises to transform genetic engineering in agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology.

How Does CRISPR Work?

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) is a gene-editing technique developed to increase food production and cure diseases. This technology allows scientists to target, edit, modify, and regulate genes and place any enzyme or protein at any site of the genome.

CRISPR works by creating a break in both strands of target DNA. It also relies on other proteins or the DNA repair machinery in order to insert a new DNA sequence. Such a process is more susceptible to introducing errors.

Since CRISPR was developed more than a decade ago, it has opened completely new areas of research. It has reduced the cost and speed of detecting human disease, improved disease resistance in fruits and crops, enabled the development of CAR T-cell therapy, and helped search for a cure for sickle cell disease.

READ ALSO: Is CRISPR Treatment Approved For Human Use? What Is It Mostly Used For?

More Precise and Flexible Gene-Editing Tool

At the University of Sydney, a team of researchers led by Dr. Sandro Ataide developed a new technology, which can deliver a new pathway for accurate gene editing. The details of their study is discussed in the paper "A programmable seekRNA guides target selection by IS1111 and IS110 type insertion sequences."

The new technique uses a programmable ribonucleic acid (RNA) strand, which can directly identify sites for inserting genetic sequences. This process helps simplify gene editing and reduce sequencing errors.

SeekRNA originated from a family of naturally occurring insertion sequences called IS1111 and IS110, which were found in bacteria and archaea. While the majority of insertion sequence proteins demonstrate little or no target selectivity, these families exhibit high target specificity.

According to the study, the system can move genetic cargo by using only a single protein of average size and a short seekRNA strand. SeekRNA is composed of a small protein of 350 amino acids and a strand of RNA with 70-100 nucleotides. A system of this size can be packed into biological nanoscale delivery vesicles to allow delivery of cells of interest.

Another feature that makes seekRNA different from other technologies is its ability to insert DNA sequences into the target location by itself. This ability is currently not possible with many editing tools.

Ataide believes that this technology has the potential to target selection with precision and flexibility. It can revolutionize genetic engineering by surpassing the limitations of CRISPR technology.

In using CRISPR, extra components are needed to have a cut-and-paste tool. Meanwhile, seekRNA has a stand-alone 'cut-and-paste tool' with higher accuracy and with the ability to deliver a wide range of DNA sequences.

Compared to CRISPR, seekRNA can leave the target site precisely and insert the new DNA sequence without the need for any other proteins. This enables a cleaner editing tool with higher editing tools and fewer errors.

Other groups of experts from various parts of the world also pursue similar research into the potential of IS1111 and IS110 for gene-editing. However, they have only provided results for one component of the IS110 family and depend on larger RNA versions. According to Ataide, their team is advancing its technique through direct laboratory sampling and application of the shorter version of seekRNA.

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