Brigham, Broad Institute researchers ID molecules that rein in CRISPR systems
Scientists have identified the first chemical compounds able to inhibit and regulate CRISPR systems, which ultimately could make CRISPR gene-editing technologies more precise, efficient, and safe. To identify these compounds, the researchers developed a new platform for rapidly finding small molecules that suppress CRISPR enzymes. Sometimes referred to as “anti-CRISPRs,” such molecules allow researchers to fine-tune CRISPR gene editing. The compounds could prevent CRISPR enzymes from unintentionally affecting other genes — having so-called “off-target effects” — and enable even greater precision in the lab and clinic. The work, led by researchers from the Broad Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, appears in Cell. “Precision control and countermeasures lie at the heart of any powerful technology,” said senior author Amit Choudhary, an associate member at the Broad Institute, associate biologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Consider our ability to harness drugs that induce anesthesia for surgery,...