CRISPR-Cas systems as emerging tools for precision biofilm control for food safety: Mechanisms and applications.

The Broad Institute Scores Another Victory in Its Battle with the University of California over the Patenting of CRIPSR

Enhanced Efficiency of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Genome Editing through Replacing TALENs with CRISPRs

COSMID: A Web-based Tool for Identifying and Validating CRISPR/Cas Off-target Sites.

Application of the CRISPR–Cas System for Efficient Genome Engineering in Plants

ABSTRACTGenome editing technologies, particularly clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9, have transformed biomedical research by enabling precise genetic modifications. Due to its efficiency, cost-effectiveness and versatility, CRISPR has been widely applied across various stages of research, from fundamental biological investigations in preclinical models to potential therapeutic interventions. In nephrology, CRISPR represents a groundbreaking tool for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying kidney diseases and developing innovative therapeutic approaches. This review synthesizes the latest advancements in CRISPR-based gene editing within nephrology, highlighting its applications in genetic kidney disorders, polygenic nephropathies and functional genomic studies. Preclinical studies utilizing CRISPR-engineered kidney organoids and animal models have provided crucial insights into disease pathophysiology, offering platforms for drug discovery and precision medicine. Additionally, CRISPR-based functional screens have identified novel disease-associated pathways, particularly in diabetic nephropathy and glomerular disorders. Beyond experimental research, the therapeutic potential of CRISPR in nephrology is emerging, with recent advances in base editing and prime editing demonstrating the feasibility of correcting pathogenic mutations in conditions such as Alport syndrome and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Moreover, CRISPR plays a pivotal role in xenotransplantation, with gene-edited porcine kidneys addressing key immunological and virological barriers. Despite its promise, clinical translation faces challenges, including delivery efficiency, off-target effects and ethical considerations. This review provides an overview of the current state and future directions of CRISPR-based gene editing in nephrology, underscoring its transformative potential in advancing kidney disease research and therapeutics.

British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy Annual Conference and Joint UK Regenerative Medicine Platform Meeting Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom Wednesday April 19-Friday April 21, 2017 Conference Abstracts.

Biofilms are dense surface-attached microbial communities consisting of bacterial colonies embedded in their self-generated matrix materials. Different bacteria species that exist within a biofilm are positioned within many different microenvironments defined by nutrient availability, pH and oxygen levels. To adapt to these myriad niches, bacteria therefore show numerous phenotypes and enormous metabolic and replicative heterogeneity. This heterogeneity provides the biofilm community with great capacity to withstand challenges. Biofilms formed in the food-processing environments cause recalcitrant contaminations and food spoilage, which pose a huge threat to public health. The distinct physiology and slow growth rate of biofilm cells hinder the detection of biofilms hidden in the food-processing environments. Conventional cleaning and disinfecting strategies could be ineffective to eradicate biofilms. The present chapter will focus on describing the latest strategies for detection and control of biofilms in food-processing environments.

The emergence of an inexpensive and efficient tool for gene editing is accelerating the pace of cardiovascular research and beginning to show potential as a treatment tool. The new gene-editing technology leverages a bacterial defense mechanism against viral infections. Bacteria store sections of viral DNA in repeated sequences called CRISPR within their own genomes and use those sequences to identify and destroy viruses. Now, scientists are inserting genes they would like to target into CRISPR and pairing it with CAS9, an enzyme that cuts DNA. This process allows scientists to efficiently remove or replace a targeted gene. “It’s been a transformative technology,” said Kiran Musunuru, MD, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of cardiovascular medicine and genetics at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. Gene editing has been a common tool in research for decades—particularly for producing model organisms with a particular genetic mutation. However, older techniques were more time-consuming, expensive, and more error-prone. CRISPR-CAS is allowing scientists to more easily and quickly produce model animals or human cell lines with specific genetic variants allowing experiments to proceed at an unprecedented pace or scale. Some preliminary studies have suggested that it also may be a useful tool for treating some forms of heart disease. The most immediate impact of CRISPR-CAS9 has been speeding the production …

In It Together

Staphylococcus aureus is a well-known pathogen capable of producing enterotoxins during bacterial growth in contaminated food, and the ingestion of such preformed toxins is one of the major causes of food poisoning around the world. Nowadays 33 staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) and SE-like toxins have been described, but nearly 95% of confirmed foodborne outbreaks are attributed to classical enterotoxins SEA, SEB, SEC, SED, and SEE. The natural habitat of S. aureus includes the skin and mucous membranes of both humans and animals, allowing the contamination of milk, its derivatives, and the processing facilities. S. aureus is well known for the ability to form biofilms in food processing environments, which contributes to its persistence and cross-contamination in food. The biocontrol of S. aureus in foods by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and their bacteriocins has been studied for many years. Recently, LAB and their metabolites have also been explored for controlling S. aureus biofilms. LAB are used in fermented foods since in ancient times and nowadays characterized strains (or their purified bacteriocin) can be intentionally added to prolong food shelf-life and to control the growth of potentially pathogenic bacteria. Regarding the use of these microorganism and their metabolites (such as organic acids and bacteriocins) to prevent biofilm development or for biofilm removal, it is possible to conclude that a complex network behind the antagonistic activity remains poorly understood at the molecular level. The use of approaches that allow the characterization of these interactions is necessary to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms that govern the inhibitory activity of LAB against S. aureus biofilms in food processing environments.

Gene editing has great potential in treating diseases caused by well-characterized molecular alterations. The introduction of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)–based gene-editing tools has substantially improved the precision and efficiency of gene editing. The CRISPR/Cas9 system offers several advantages over the existing gene-editing approaches, such as its ability to target practically any genomic sequence, enabling the rapid development and deployment of novel CRISPR-mediated knock-out/knock-in methods. CRISPR/Cas9 has been widely used to develop cancer models, validate essential genes as druggable targets, study drug-resistance mechanisms, explore gene non-coding areas, and develop biomarkers. CRISPR gene editing can create more-effective chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells that are durable, cost-effective, and more readily available. However, further research is needed to define the CRISPR/Cas9 system’s pros and cons, establish best practices, and determine social and ethical implications. This review summarizes recent CRISPR/Cas9 developments, particularly in cancer research and immunotherapy, and the potential of CRISPR/Cas9-based screening in developing cancer precision medicine and engineering models for targeted cancer therapy, highlighting the existing challenges and future directions. Lastly, we highlight the role of artificial intelligence in refining the CRISPR system's on-target and off-target effects, a critical factor for the broader application in cancer therapeutics.

Context: The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas system is a groundbreaking gene-editing tool that shows great promise for modifying genomes. Derived from prokaryotic adaptive immune defense mechanisms, this technique has been used in research on human diseases, demonstrating remarkable therapeutic potential. Through CRISPR, specific genetic mutations in patients can be corrected during gene therapy, offering a solution for treating diseases that were previously untreatable using conventional methods. This review explores the recent progress and future prospects of the CRISPR system, focusing on its applications in medicine and stem cell engineering. Special emphasis is placed on medical applications, the latest target design or analysis tools for genome editing, advancements in stem cell engineering, and associated innovations and challenges. Evidence Acquisition: This study reviewed articles indexed in ISI, SID, PubMed, and PubMed Central from 2007 to 2024. Results: Cas9, a key protein in CRISPR gene editing, is an endonuclease capable of targeting and cutting specific DNA sequences, guided by short RNA sequences. The gene editing process involves homology-directed repair (HDR), non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), and base editing pathways. Base editing, which modifies the epigenome without inducing DNA breaks, is gaining increasing attention. However, CRISPR still faces technical challenges, and the development of more efficient "super" CRISPR technology will likely require time. This article reviews the effectiveness, limitations, and applications of the CRISPR system. Conclusions: CRISPR/Cas9 tools allow for the creation of precise models, leading to more effective treatment options for patients.

CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) and other gene-editing technologies have revolutionized genetic research by enabling precise, targeted modifications of DNA sequences. This paper provides a comprehensive exploration of CRISPR technology, detailing its development, mechanism of action, and versatility in diverse applications. From advancements in medicine, including therapeutic interventions for genetic disorders, to innovations in agriculture aimed at enhancing crop resilience and yield, CRISPR's transformative potential is vast. However, the rapid evolution of gene editing presents significant ethical and societal challenges, particularly concerning human germline editing, ecological impacts, and issues of accessibility and equity. This paper examines these ethical considerations, emphasizing the need for robust regulatory frameworks and responsible scientific practices. It also projects the future trajectory of gene editing technologies, speculating on emerging trends, possible breakthroughs, and the global implications of CRISPR in fields such as personalized medicine, synthetic biology, and biotechnology. By critically analyzing current applications and addressing ethical concerns, this study aims to provide a balanced perspective on CRISPR's potential to reshape genetic research while advocating for ethical governance and public engagement in its ongoing development. CRISPR’s ability to target specific genes with high accuracy has made it an invaluable tool not only in research laboratories but also in clinical settings, where it shows promise in treating previously incurable diseases. Recent advancements have extended CRISPR’s applications beyond simple gene knockout, allowing for base editing, prime editing, and epigenetic modifications that expand the possibilities for genetic correction and enhancement. As scientists explore using CRISPR in complex organisms, the precision and control required for safe and effective treatments become a key focus, particularly in addressing off-target effects that could lead to unintended genetic consequences.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) technique is the most effective and novelist technique for genome editing. CRISPR mechanism has been widely developed for gene editing, gene silencing, high-specific regulation of the transcription, and reducing off-target effects through double-strand breaks (DSBs) in the genomic DNA and then modifying nucleotide sequences of the target gene in diverse plant and animal species. However, the application may be restricted by a high rate of off-target effects. So, there are many studies on designing precise single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) to minimize off-target effects. Thus, the high-efficiency design of a specific sgRNA is critical. First, in the chapter, the sgRNA origin and different types of gRNA will be outlined. Then, the off-target effect will be described. Next, the remarkable characteristics of the sgRNA will be highlighted to improve precise gene editing. Finally, some popular in silico tools will be introduced for designing sgRNA.

Listeria monocytogenes is notorious for its ability to persistently colonize food processing and other environments. Formation of biofilms is one of the key attributes mediating such persistence. Resistance to sanitizers and other stresses may be higher in biofilm-associated L. monocytogenes than in planktonic cultures, potentially compromising the efficacy of sanitation regimes. In spite of extensive investigations on biofilm formation and approaches to inactivate L. monocytogenes, major gaps remain in our understanding of this pathogen's tolerance to disinfectants in the biofilm state. Contributing factors include the diversity and complexity of biofilms in processing plants and our still limited understanding of the microbial ecology of the processing plant ecosystem, together with the multitude of mechanisms that can mediate disinfectant tolerance and persistence of biofilm-associated cells. Further insights are expected as novel tools continue to become employed to characterize the microbiome of L. monocytogenes-harboring biofilms in food processing environments and elucidate responses to disinfectants at the genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic levels.