Create 'pencil' for genetic errors

One of two new gene editing tools invented by American scientists such as a pencil can redesign faulty DNA fragments.

Two miraculous gene editing techniques have just been published in the US, giving hope to defeat many dangerous human diseases such as cystic fibrosis, genetic blindness and countless other incurable diseases. These diseases are created by a "typing error" on DNA transmitted from generation to generation.

New genetic editing tools will help people get rid of many incurable genetic diseases - (photo: BBC).

Both studies conducted at the Institute of Biomedical and Genomic Research at MIT and Harvard are based on the most popular gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 , which is used to cut DNA fragments instead with healthy DNA.

"CRISPR is like a scissors, and our" editor "gene tool is like a pencil" - Professor David Liu (Harvard University), the first research leader, described in the journal Nature study.

Scientists at Sun Yat-sen University (China) have studied more about the work of Professor David Liu and expect this strange genetic editing tool to help correct a faulty gene that leads to beta- thalassemia (Beta hemolytic anemia) , which China and many Asian countries, including Vietnam, is the area with many patients.

The second study, published in Science magazine, is a variant of the CRISPR gene editing tool called REPAIR . REPAIR helps to repair RNA, not antipatter RNA (also known as RNA) is also a DNA-like nucleic acid.

In order for a cell to use genetic instructions, it must first create a copy of RNA, before reaching the replica itself, DNA. Therefore, correcting errors on RNA also helps eliminate dangerous genetic diseases. REPAIR is the work created by the research team led by MIT scientist Feng Zhang and Harvard's Institute of Biomedical and Genetic Research.