CRISPR edits lung-disease gene in utero, hitting only the affected organ in a mouse study
Scientists injected #CRISPR into the amniotic fluid of pregnant mice, editing a lung-disease gene in a small number of mouse fetuses, they reported Wednesday.
Companies that hope to treat severe inherited diseases via CRISPR genome editing are already testing the technique in adults, while push-the-envelope types are arguing for repairing defective genes much earlier — in IVF embryos so new they’re still in a lab dish (the “CRISPR babies” route). Now scientists in Philadelphia have taken preliminary steps toward a possible middle way: They injected CRISPR into the amniotic fluid of pregnant mice, editing a lung-disease-causing gene in a small number of mouse fetuses, they reported on Wednesday.
In utero editing offers advantages for at least some diseases, said Dr. William
