How to Pick a Lock with a Hairpin.
It's not unusual for the system to be off target when there are billions of base pairs of DNA to scroll through.Duke University has created a "lock" that can make the system far more precise, and it works with all kinds of CRISPR variations.
In nature, CRISPR is a type of DNA sequence thatbacteria use to defend themselves.After a bug has survived an attack, it takes out a section of the invader's genetic material and stores it so it can recognize the same attacker again.The mechanism can be co-opted to make precise genetic edits in living organisms.
The technique can be used to treat a lot of genetic diseases, but it isn't perfect.When the guides are scanning through billions of base pairs, they sometimes miss the goal by one or two bases.There could be some bad side effects from these edits.
"CRISPR is generally incredibly accurate, but there are examples that have shown off-target activity, so there's been broad interest across the field in increasing specificity."The solutions proposed thus far can't be easily translated between different systems.
Both problems can be solved by the Duke-developed hairpin lock.The team added an extra 20 nucleotides to the end of the system to make it more efficient.The new tail is hard to break because it loops back on itself.The only thing that can open it is the target sequence of DNA.The system is precise to a single base pair.
Dewran Kocak is the lead researcher on the study.