Researchers have developed CRISPR-Cas13 enzyme-based
technology that can be programmed to both detect and destroy RNA-based viruses
in human cells.
Researchers have turned a CRISPR RNA-cutting enzyme into an
antiviral that can be programmed to detect and destroy RNA-based viruses in
human cells. This study is one of the first to harness Cas13, or any CRISPR
system, as an antiviral in cultured human cells.
The researchers from Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
combined Cas13’s antiviral activity with its diagnostic capability to create a
single system (named CARVER – Cas13-Assisted Restriction of Viral Expression
and Readout) that may one day be used to both diagnose and treat viral
infections, including infections caused by new and emerging viruses.
“Human viral pathogens are extremely diverse and constantly
adapting to their environment, even within a single species of virus,†said
Pardis Sabeti who co-led the work. “Our work establishes CARVER as a powerful
and rapidly programmable diagnostic and antiviral technology for a wide variety
of these viruses.â€
The team first screened a suite of RNA-based viruses in
search of viral RNA sequences that Cas13 could efficiently target.
“In theory, you could programme Cas13 to attack virtually
any part of a virus,†explained co-first author Cameron Myhrvold. “But there’s
huge diversity within and among species and much of the genome changes rapidly
as a virus evolves.â€
The researchers computationally identified thousands of
sites, in hundreds of viral species, that could be effective targets for Cas13.
The team could then programme Cas13 to seek out and cut any of these nucleic
acid sequences by engineering the enzyme’s guide RNA.
“We envision Cas13 as a research tool to explore many
aspects of viral biology in human cells,†added co-first author Catherine
Freije. “It could also potentially be a clinical tool, where these systems
could be used to diagnose a sample, treat a viral infection and measure the
effectiveness of the treatment – all with the ability to adapt CARVER quickly
to deal with new or drug-resistant viruses as they emerge.â€
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