Australian researchers have relied on an enzyme capable of binding to Sars-CoV-2 RNA to degrade the part of the genome it needs to replicate inside our cells. This promising work using CRISPR technology could pave the way for a new antiviral treatment.
As of June 2021, Sars-CoV-2 has officially already infected more than 170 million people worldwide and caused more than 3.8 million deaths. While a number of highly effective vaccines are now available in many countries, advances in effective treatments, including modified monoclonal antibodies and small molecule antiviral agents, have meanwhile had limited success. /P>
Meanwhile, the ability of the virus to evolve in response to host, environmental and therapeutic pressures has been demonstrated with the worldwide emergence of new variants more transmissible and pathogenic. Also, we need innovative prevention and treatment approaches capable of counteracting the dynamic evolutions taking place in the Sars-CoV-2 genome. What if CRISPR was the solution?
CRISPR genome editing technology has become the figurehead of medical advances in recent years. It makes it possible to rely on a protein of bacterial origin capable of "cutting" DNA at specific sequences, or even inserting genetic material into it. The technique can then be used in genetic engineering to easily and quickly modify the genome of cells . The French Emmanuelle Charpentier and the American Jennifer Doudna were both awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020 for their pioneering work in this field.
As Le Temps reminds us, CRISPR technology has obtained promising results in studies aimed at eliminating genetic mutations leading to the development of cancer in children. Clinical trials are also underway for the treatment of rare genetic diseases.
In this new work published in Nature Communications, researchers at the University of Melbourne used an enzyme (CRISPR-Cas13b) that, in laboratory tests, would have been able to bind to Sars-Cov-2 RNA to degrade the part of the genome it needs to replicate . In this way, the researchers were able to prevent the pathogen from multiplying and infecting other cells.
“Once the virus is recognized, the CRISPR enzyme is activated and cuts the virus “, sums up Sharon Lewin, the main author of this work, to AFP. “We targeted several parts of the virus, parts that were very stable and unchanging and parts that were very changeable, and all of them worked very well in hashing the virus “.
In their study, the researchers point out that the technique was also successful in stopping viral replication in samples of "variants of concern", such as the Alpha variant.
According to Sharon Lewin, this work could lead to an antiviral treatment ideally taken orally as soon as the diagnosis is made. “This approach, test and treat, would only be feasible if we had a cheap, oral, non-toxic antiviral “, recalls the geneticist. "That's what we hope to achieve one day with this genetic scissors approach “.
Researchers plan to start a first animal trial soon before considering clinical trials.
