The gene-editing system CRISPR is the hottest subject in biology because of the technique’s ability to change DNA letters and potentially cure genetic disease. So what could be better? What about a way to edit genes with no CRISPR at all.
基因编辑系统 CRISPR 因其可以改变 DNA 并拥有可能治愈遗传性疾病的能力,成为目前生物界最火热的话题。不过还有更好方式吗?比如说没有 CRISPR 也可以编辑基因的方法?
A startup called Homology Medicines says it has a way to do that. The Bedford, Massachusetts, company has raised an impressive $127 million to treat genetic diseases using viruses it claims are capable of efficiently repairing human genes, all on their own.
一家叫做 Homology Medicines 的初创公司声称他们已经找到了这样的方法。 这家位于马萨诸塞州贝德福德的公司已经募集了 12.7 亿美金用于使用病毒来治疗遗传疾病,据称这种病毒能够靠自身特性有效修复人类的变异基因。
If its claim is true, Homology may have hit on the safest, simplest way yet to change genes in the human body—one that doesn’t require slashing open a person’s DNA strands, as CRISPR does.
如果他们的说法是正确的, Homology 公司将有可能找到最安全、简单的方法来改变人类基因:一种不需要打开人类 DNA 的双链结构就可以改变遗传基因的方法。而 CRISPR 正是靠修剪 DNA 来修复人类的基因的。
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