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The promising experimental technique Crispr-Cas9 used to modify defective genes, is less accurate than previously thought and causes unexpected mutations, according to a study published Monday.
during experiments "important" and "frequent" mutations in mice and in human cells, according to the study published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
Their authors argue that the unintended changes that this technique causes in DNA "has been largely underestimated up to here," said Allan Bradley of the Wellcome Sanger Institute in England, where 39 study was conducted.
"Any attempt to use this technique in gene therapy must be accompanied by many precautions." , followed by any negative effects, "he adds.
Crispr-Cas9 badumed a great discovery in 2012, ascribed to the Franco duo. Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, frequently cited in paris Nobel.
It is based on an enzyme that acts as molecular scissors, able to remove unwanted parts from a molecule. The genome must be replaced by new pieces of DNA. DNA as if a typographical error had been corrected in a word processing program
The technique, in a research state, has not yet been used in humans.
But the researchers have succeeded in correcting a genetic defect in human embryos, potentially opening the way to great progress in the treatment of genetic diseases, not without posing great ethical questions.
And theoretically, this technique will it be used to create babies. genetically modified, for example to choose the color of their hair or to increase their physical strength.
The study published Monday has highlighted ambios in the DNA of certain cells that could activate or deactivate important genes.
For Robin Lovell-Badge, of the Francis Crick Institute of London, the report confirms that in genetic publishing, "it is necessary to verify that the modifications they are only desired." [19659012"Theseresultsdonotwarrantpanicorlossoffaithinthesetechniques"saidthisresearcherwhowasnotinvolvedinthestudy
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