Researchers use the CRISPR / Cas9 gene editing tool to limit the impact of parasitic diseases

For the first time, researchers from George Washington University (GW), as well as colleagues from institutes in Thailand, Australia, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, have successfully used the tool CRISPR / Cas9 gene modification program to limit the impact of parasitic worms responsible for schistosomiasis and liver flukes, which can cause a wide range of human diseases, including bile duct cancer. Their conclusions can be found in two articles published today in the journal eLife.

"The genes that we have" eliminated "with CRISPR / Cas9 have resulted in a noticeable decrease in infection symptoms in our animal models," said Paul Brindley, PhD, professor of microbiology, immunology, and medicine Tropical at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and lead author. "Our research has also shown that this revolutionary new biomedical procedure – CRISPR / Cas9 – can be adapted to study parasite helminths, which constitute a major public health problem in tropical climates."

CRISPR / Cas9 is a new technology that allows researchers to precisely target and disable the genetic information needed to produce a particular protein. Although this tool has already been used previously in other species, it was not known whether it could be applied to Schistosoma mansoni and Opisthorchis viverrini, the parasites responsible for schistosomiasis and infection. liver fluke.

Schistosomiasis can cause serious health problems, including liver and kidney damage, infertility and bladder cancer. S. mansoni freshwater worms enter the human body by sinking into the skin; once in the blood, they move to various organs where they begin to reproduce quickly. Their eggs release several molecules, including a protein called omega-1 ribonuclease, which can damage surrounding tissues. Brindley and his research team "knocked out" this protein with CRISPR / Cas9 and discovered that it significantly reduced the impact of the disease.

Liver fluke infection can cause a type of liver cancer called bile duct cancer, caused by the presence of the O. viverrini worm. This parasite is transmitted by the traditional kitchens of Southeast Asia with the help of raw or undercooked fish. Once inside the body, the parasite installs in the liver and secretes a protein called granulin, which can promote the multiplication of liver cells, thus increasing the risk of cancer. Brindley and his research team used CRISPR / Cas9 to turn off the gene that codes for granulin and create parasites that can produce very little of the protein, which has significantly reduced the symptoms of infection. liver dioxide.

"These neglected tropical diseases affect more than a quarter of a billion people living mainly in Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America," Brindley said. "CRISPR / Cas9 is a tool that can be used to limit the impact of these infections.While we are working to better understand how these parasites invade and damage our body through this new technology, we will find new ideas for treatment and control of diseases. "