At a glance

  • Biotech – CRISPR Therapeutics and Capsida Biotherapeutics announce strategic collaboration to develop gene-edited therapies for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Friedreich’s Ataxia
  • Buzz off A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences documents the first use of CRISPER/Cas9 gene editing to target a specific gene tied to fertility in male mosquitoes.
    Chen, J. et al. (2021) Suppression of female fertility in Aedes aegypti with a CRISPR-targeted male-sterile mutation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2105075118
  • CRISPR-based detection of SARS-CoV-2 -Scientists have developed a CRISPR-based lab-on-paper device for detection of SARS-CoV-2.
    Yin, K. et al. (2021) Autonomous lab-on-paper for multiplexed, CRISPR-based diagnostics of SARS-CoV-2. Lab on a Chip. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1LC00293G 

Scientific Advances: Pancreatic cancer: tracking the gene changes underlying metastasis

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have developed a new CRISPR-based method to help trace the lineage and gene expression patterns of individual cancer cells in a mouse model of metastatic pancreatic cancer. Combining CRISPR lineage tracing with single-cell RNA sequencing, they were able to detailed the changes in gene expression that accompany metastasis. Their findings reveal that genetic changes that drive metastasis include altered gene expression patterns in addition to genetic mutations. In particular, expression of S100 gene family propagated across clonally distinct metastatic subpopulations and enhanced the ability to metastasize.

For more information, see: Simeonov, P. et al. (2021) Single-cell lineage tracing of metastatic cancer reveals selection of hybrid EMT states, Cancer Cell.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2021.05.005

Keywords: lineage tracing; phylogenetics; CRISPR; evolving barcodes; barcoding; metastasis;

Questions? Email: crispr@amsterdamumc.nl