Utilization of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in cellular therapies for lymphoid malignancies

Comprehensive review of CRISPR-based gene editing: mechanisms, challenges, and applications in cancer therapy

The CRISPR system is a revolutionary genome editing tool that has the potential to revolutionize the field of cancer research and therapy. The ability to precisely target and edit specific genetic mutations that drive the growth and spread of tumors has opened up new possibilities for the development of more effective and personalized cancer treatments. In this review, we will discuss the different CRISPR-based strategies that have been proposed for cancer therapy, including inactivating genes that drive tumor growth, enhancing the immune response to cancer cells, repairing genetic mutations that cause cancer, and delivering cancer-killing molecules directly to tumor cells. We will also summarize the current state of preclinical studies and clinical trials of CRISPR-based cancer therapy, highlighting the most promising results and the challenges that still need to be overcome. Safety and delivery are also important challenges for CRISPR-based cancer therapy to become a viable clinical option. We will discuss the challenges and limitations that need to be overcome, such as off-target effects, safety, and delivery to the tumor site. Finally, we will provide an overview of the current challenges and opportunities in the field of CRISPR-based cancer therapy and discuss future directions for research and development. The CRISPR system has the potential to change the landscape of cancer research, and this review aims to provide an overview of the current state of the field and the challenges that need to be overcome to realize this potential.

Novelty in improvement of CAR T cell-based immunotherapy with the aid of CRISPR system

INTRODUCTION

Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells have tremendous potentials for cancer treatment; however, various challenges impede their universal use. These restrictions include the poor function of T cells in tumor microenvironments, the shortage of tumor-specific antigens and, finally, the high cost and time-consuming process, as well as the poor scalability of the method. Creative gene-editing tools have addressed each of these limitations and introduced next generation products for cell therapy. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated endonuclease 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system has triggered a revolution in biology fields, as it has a great capacity for genetic manipulation.

METHOD

In this review, we considered the latest development of CRISPR/Cas9 methods for the chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T)-based immunotherapy.

RESULTS

The ability of the CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate the universal CAR T cells and also potent T cells that are persistent against exhaustion and inhibition was explored.

CONCLUSION

We explained CRISPR delivery methods, as well as addressing safety concerns related to the use of the CRISPR/Cas9 system and their potential solutions.

CRISPR-based precision medicine for hematologic disorders: Advancements, challenges, and prospects

The development of programmable nucleases to introduce defined alterations in genomic sequences has been a powerful tool for precision medicine. While several nucleases such as zinc-finger nucleases (ZFN), transcriptor activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN), and meganucleases have been explored, the advent of CRISPR/Cas9 technology has revolutionized the field of genome engineering. In addition to disease modeling, the CRISPR/Cas9 technology has contributed to safer and more effective treatment strategies for hematologic diseases and personalized T-cell-based therapies. Here we discuss the applications of the CRISPR technology in the treatment of hematologic diseases, their efficacy, and ongoing clinical trials. We examine the obstacles to their successful use and the approaches investigated to overcome these challenges. Finally, we provide our perspectives to improve this genome editing tool for targeted therapies.

Site-specific transgene integration in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and natural killer (NK) cells are genetically engineered immune cells that can detect target antigens on the surface of target cells and eliminate them following adoptive transfer. Recent progress in CAR-based therapies has led to outstanding clinical success in certain patients with leukemias and lymphomas and offered therapeutic benefits to those resistant to conventional therapies. The universal approach to stable CAR transgene delivery into the T/NK cells is the use of viral particles. Such approaches mediate semi-random transgene insertions spanning the entire genome with a high preference for integration into sites surrounding highly-expressed genes and active loci. Regardless of the variable CAR expression level based on the integration site of the CAR transgene, foreign integrated DNA fragments may affect the neighboring endogenous genes and chromatin structure and potentially change a transduced T/NK cell behavior and function or even favor cellular transformation. In contrast, site-specific integration of CAR constructs using recent genome-editing technologies could overcome the limitations and disadvantages of universal random gene integration. Herein, we explain random and site-specific integration of CAR transgenes in CAR-T/NK cell therapies. Also, we tend to summarize the methods for site-specific integration as well as the clinical outcomes of certain gene disruptions or enhancements due to CAR transgene integration. Also, the advantages and limitations of using site-specific integration methods are discussed in this review. Ultimately, we will introduce the genomic safe harbor (GSH) standards and suggest some appropriate safety prospects for CAR integration in CAR-T/NK cell therapies.

Site-specific transgene integration in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and natural killer (NK) cells are genetically engineered immune cells that can detect target antigens on the surface of target cells and eliminate them following adoptive transfer. Recent progress in CAR-based therapies has led to outstanding clinical success in certain patients with leukemias and lymphomas and offered therapeutic benefits to those resistant to conventional therapies. The universal approach to stable CAR transgene delivery into the T/NK cells is the use of viral particles. Such approaches mediate semi-random transgene insertions spanning the entire genome with a high preference for integration into sites surrounding highly-expressed genes and active loci. Regardless of the variable CAR expression level based on the integration site of the CAR transgene, foreign integrated DNA fragments may affect the neighboring endogenous genes and chromatin structure and potentially change a transduced T/NK cell behavior and function or even favor cellular transformation. In contrast, site-specific integration of CAR constructs using recent genome-editing technologies could overcome the limitations and disadvantages of universal random gene integration. Herein, we explain random and site-specific integration of CAR transgenes in CAR-T/NK cell therapies. Also, we tend to summarize the methods for site-specific integration as well as the clinical outcomes of certain gene disruptions or enhancements due to CAR transgene integration. Also, the advantages and limitations of using site-specific integration methods are discussed in this review. Ultimately, we will introduce the genomic safe harbor (GSH) standards and suggest some appropriate safety prospects for CAR integration in CAR-T/NK cell therapies.

Researchers views about perceived harms and benefits of gene editing: A study from the MENA region

BACKGROUND

The development of gene editing technologies is very promising for the treatment of genetic diseases. However, gene editing can be also used to enhance the characteristics of healthy individuals. This study aims to determine ethical challenges that may face the constitution of gene editing in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

METHODS

An online discussion forum about the ethical challenges of applying gene editing technologies was held. The participants were a group of researchers (n = 28) from the MENA region.

RESULTS

Most of the participants agreed on the importance of gene editing for the treatment of genetic diseases. However, participants had concerns regarding the use of gene editing to enhance the characteristics of healthy individuals such as athletic abilities and intelligence. Among ethical issues that were raised are justice, harm, beneficence, discrimination, conflict with religion and culture, and lack of regulations.

CONCLUSION

Several ethical issues were raised for using gene editing technologies based on the perception of biomedical researchers from the MENA region. Therefore, the scientific community and other interested bioethical, social, legal, and governmental parties should be provided with a detailed guide from the scientists in this area for future uses of this technology.

The role of CRISPR-Cas in advancing precision periodontics

The significant advancement of molecular biology has revolutionized medicine and provided important technologies to further clinical research development. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) are DNA sequences derived from bacteriophages which have previously infected the bacterial species. The CRISPR-Cas system plays a key role in bacterial defense by detecting and destroying DNA fragments during subsequent bacteriophage invasions. The Cas9 enzyme recognizes and cleaves new invading CRISPR-complementary DNA sequences. Researchers have taken advantage of this biological device to manipulate microbes' genes and develop novel therapeutics to tackle systemic disease. In this review, we discuss the potential of utilizing CRISPR-Cas systems in the periodontal field to develop personalized periodontal care. We summarize promising attempts to bring this technology to the clinical setting. Finally, we provide insights regarding future developments to best utilize the CRISPR-Cas systems to advance precision periodontics. Although further research is imperative to evaluate the safety and potential of using CRISPR-Cas to develop precision periodontics approaches, few studies showed promising data to support the investment into this important technology in the dental sector. CRISPR-Cas9 can be a useful tool to create knockouts in vitro and in vivo as a screening tool to identify cellular pathways involved in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. Alternative CRISPR systems such as CRISPRa, CRISPRi, and Cas13 can be used to modify the transcriptome and gene expression of genes involved in periodontitis progression. CRISPR systems such as Cas3 can be used to target the periodontal biofilm and to develop new strategies to reduce or eliminate periodontal pathogens. Currently, the utility of CRISPR-Cas applications in clinical settings is limited. Through this review, we hope to foster further discussion in the periodontal research and clinical communities with respect to the potential clinical application of novel, CRISPR-Cas based, therapeutics for periodontitis.