2023-12-07 13:00:00
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The field of genetics is experiencing an unprecedented revolution thanks to the CRISPR editing system, reaching even retinal cell regeneration. This advance promises a potential solution to blindness and vision problems caused by damage to the retina, a problem that until now seemed insurmountable in humans.
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The retina, essential for vision, is made up of specialized neurons that can be irreversibly damaged by disease or trauma. In contrast to humans, some animals, such as fish and birds, possess the surprising ability to regenerate these essential neurons.
The secret lies in the cells of the glia of Muller, present in the retina and which, in these species, can become functional neurons after an injury. However, in mammals, including humans, these cells respond by forming scars and inflammation, without generating new neurons.
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The latest research in this fieldleadered by Thomas Reh and published in Stem Cell Reports, reveals a revolutionary finding: it is possible to induce human Müller glia to transform into neurons. This process, until now unprecedented in mammals, is achieved through genetic modification that activates specific genetic programs, imitating the natural process of fish.
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The study by Reh and his team shows that, by genetically modifying human Müller glia, This can adopt neuronal characteristics similar to those of immature neurons in the retina.. This discovery opens a whole new path for retinal repair in people who have suffered neuronal loss due to disease or trauma.
Although the results are promising, there are still challenges ahead. The current study was based on immature Müller glia, and it remains to be determined whether similar techniques could be effective in adult Müller glia. Furthermore, the efficiency of this process and its applicability in large-scale treatments are issues that require further investigation.
The magic of CRISPR
CRISPR is a gene editing technology that acts like a pair of molecular scissors, allowing scientists to cut and modify DNA very precisely. To understand it in a simple way, DNA can be considered as a huge recipe book that contains all the instructions for building and maintaining a living organism.
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This book is full of recipes, which are genes, and determine characteristics such as eye color or height. CRISPR is used to make specific changes to these recipes. Here’s how it works: Scientists design a guide RNA, a molecule that can read and pair with a specific DNA sequence. This guide takes the CRISPR system to the exact place in the cookbook, the DNA, where you want to make a change. Once in the right place, CRISPR’s molecular scissors cut the DNA. The cell’s own DNA repair system then kicks in to fix this break, but during this process, scientists can introduce changes or corrections to the DNA sequence.
This method has revolutionized genetic research, allowing us not only to better understand genes and how they work, but also to develop treatments for genetic diseases, improve agricultural crops, and much more. The ease, precision, and efficiency of CRISPR make it a powerful and promising tool in the field of biotechnology.
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