Even CRISPR

A FEW years ago, molecular biologists made a breakthrough. By borrowing an antiviral mechanism called CRISPR-Cas9 from bacteria, they created an easy way to tweak the genetic information in a cell’s nucleus. This has implications for medicine and agriculture. Unfortunately, a dispute over who invented what parts of the technique first has threatened to curtail this potential. But that may not matter, for CRISPR-Cas9 turns out not to be the only way bacteria protect themselves from the attentions of viruses. In the latest edition of Cell, a group of researchers led by Feng Zhang of the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts (who is one of the parties to the patent dispute), have announced their discovery of another such mechanism. Indeed, first indications suggest it may be even better than CRISPR-Cas9.

Like it, this mechanism, CRISPR-Cpf1, could become a tool that can deal with intractable genetic illnesses such as Huntington’s, and degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s. It might also be used to produce new classes of antiviral treatment, and thus curb infectious disease. Plant and animal breeders may find it useful, too, for creating new strains of crops and livestock. Indeed, because, like CRISPR-Cas9, it does not involve taking genes from one organism and implanting them in another, it will not count as “transgenic”, a bugaboo of campaigners and customers alike.