Progress and Challenges of Gene Editing
CHEN Yunwei TAO Cheng ZHOU Haichen ZHANG Zhiqiang
2021, 43(1):
8-23.
doi:10.16507/j.issn.1006-6055.2021.01.002
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Gene editing refers to the technology that modifies genes to obtain new features or functions. The third-generation CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system and related technologies that began in 2012 are currently the most researched. Other gene editing systems that have emerged in recent years include Base Editors, Prime Editors, RNA editing, etc. Gene editing has thrived in recent years, which lead to continuous improvement. The gene editing system has been carried out in applied research of disease treatments, crop breeding, industrial microbial design, viral nucleic acid detection, etc. It shows promising prospects, especially for cancer treatment, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and genetic diseases. The United States is the country with the largest output of gene editing papers in the world and is at the center of the cooperation network. China (ranking second) and the United States have the closest cooperation. Of the top 10 institutions with the most papers, six are from the United States. Harvard University ranks first globally, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences ranks second in the world. Despite the rapid development of gene editing research and application, gene editing technology still faces controversies and challenges such as off-target, ethical, and safety issues. This article finally puts forward four suggestions for the development of gene editing in China: First, strengthen planning and guidance, and attach great importance to enhancing fundamental theories and methods of gene editing; Second, strengthen supervision and guide the application of gene editing; Third, strengthen the study of ethical norms and improve gene editing supervision's legal and policy system; Fourth, support the research and development of crop gene editing products.