AI meets CRISPR for precise gene editing

A research team headed by the University of Zurich has developed a powerful new method to precisely edit DNA by combining cutting-edge genetic engineering with artificial intelligence. The work has been published in Nature Biotechnology.

This technique opens the door to more accurate modeling of human diseases and lays the groundwork for next-generation gene therapies.

Normally, double-stranded breaks in the DNA molecule are accurately repaired in humans and other organisms. But occasionally, this DNA end-joining repair results in genetic errors.

Now, scientists from the University of Zurich (UZH), Ghent University in Belgium and the ETH Zurich have developed a new method which greatly improves the precision of genome editing. Using artificial intelligence (AI), the tool called "Pythia" predicts how cells repair their DNA after it is cut by gene-editing tools such as CRISPR/Cas9.

"Our team developed tiny DNA repair templates, which act like molecular glue and guide the cell to make precise genetic changes," says lead author Thomas Naert, who pioneered the technology at the UZH and is currently a post-doc at Gent University.

Image source: Taiyo Yamamoto, University of Zurich.