Genetic editing technique causes unexpected mutations, according to the study



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These genetic scissors have caused "significant" and "frequent" mutations in mice and human cells during some experiments, according to the study published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

Their authors argue that the unintended changes that this technique entails Allan Bradley, of the Wellcome Sanger Institute in England, said in a statement: "Any attempt to use this technique in gene therapy must be accompanied by many "

Crispr-Cas9 was a great discovery in 2012, attributed to the Franco-American duo Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, often quoted in Nobel Paris

based on an enzyme that acts as molecular scissors , able to remove the unwanted parts of a genome to replace them with new ones. Tears of DNA, as if they were correcting a typo in a word processing program

The in a state of research, has not yet been used in humans.

But researchers have managed to correct a genetic abnormality in human embryos, opening up poten the way to great progress in the treatment of genetic diseases, not without posing great ethical questions.

And theoretically, this technique could be used to create genetically modified babies, for example to choose the color of their hair or increase their physical strength.

The study published Monday showed changes in the DNA of certain cells that could activate or deactivate important genes.

For Robin Lovell-Badge, of the Francis Crick Institute in London, the report confirms that in genetic publishing, "it is necessary to verify that the changes that are produced are only those desired".

"These results do not justify panic or loss of faith in these techniques," said this researcher, who did not participate in the study.

AFP

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