Feng Zhang

In a recent Science article, gene-editing pioneer Feng Zhang and colleagues reported a new CRISPR strategy that targets mRNA instead of DNA, resulting in transient changes to a cell rather than permanent alterations. A new enzyme, “C2c2,” first discovered in Leptotrichia shahii, is the first naturally occurring CRISPR-system enzyme that targets only RNA. Further, it allows for greater specificity than small interfering RNA’s that are used now to knock down mRNAs’ signal to make protein.       MORE

Image Credit: be.mit.edu