EditCo Bio | Infectious Disease

Harnessing CRISPR for the Fight Against Infectious Diseases

Infectious diseases have been a persistent threat to human health for centuries, responsible for countless epidemics and pandemics throughout history. These diseases, caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, have the ability to spread rapidly, often with devastating consequences. The ongoing battle against infectious diseases requires constant innovation in research, diagnosis, and treatment. One of the most promising recent advancements in this field is the use of CRISPR technology—a powerful tool originally discovered in bacteria as part of their immune system, which is now being harnessed to improve our understanding and management of infectious diseases.

The CRISPR-Cas9 System: A Breakthrough in Genetic Engineering

CRISPR, which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, is a revolutionary gene-editing technology that allows scientists to make precise, targeted changes to the DNA of living organisms. The system consists of two key components: the Cas9 enzyme, which acts like molecular scissors to cut DNA, and a guide RNA (gRNA), which directs Cas9 to a specific location in the genome. By modifying the sequence of the gRNA, scientists can target almost any gene of interest, making CRISPR an incredibly versatile tool for genetic research.

Originally discovered as a bacterial defense mechanism against viral infections, CRISPR has since been adapted for use in a wide range of applications, from agriculture to medicine. In the context of infectious disease research, CRISPR is being employed to better understand pathogen biology, develop novel diagnostics, and create new therapeutic approaches.

Understanding Pathogen Biology

One of the primary ways CRISPR is advancing infectious disease research is by enhancing our understanding of pathogen biology. By using CRISPR to edit the genomes of pathogens, researchers can study the function of specific genes and identify those that are crucial for the pathogen's survival, virulence, and ability to evade the host immune system.

For example, CRISPR has been used to investigate the role of specific genes in the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum. By knocking out genes in the parasite's genome, scientists can observe the effects on its ability to infect and replicate within human cells. This knowledge can inform the development of new strategies to combat malaria, such as identifying potential drug targets or developing more effective vaccines.

Similarly, CRISPR is being used to study the genetic makeup of viruses, such as HIV and SARS-CoV-2 (the virus responsible for COVID-19). By editing viral genomes, researchers can gain insights into how these viruses interact with host cells, how they evolve, and what factors contribute to their pathogenicity. This information is critical for developing antiviral therapies and understanding how to prevent future outbreaks.

CRISPR-Based Diagnostics

In addition to its role in basic research, CRISPR is also being utilized to create novel diagnostic tools for infectious diseases. Traditional diagnostic methods, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), can be time-consuming and require specialized equipment, limiting their use in resource-limited settings. CRISPR-based diagnostics, on the other hand, offer a faster, more portable, and potentially more cost-effective alternative.

One of the most notable CRISPR-based diagnostic systems is SHERLOCK (Specific High-sensitivity Enzymatic Reporter unLOCKing), developed by researchers at the Broad Institute. SHERLOCK uses the Cas13 enzyme, a variant of Cas9, to detect specific RNA sequences from pathogens. When Cas13 recognizes the target RNA, it activates a reporter molecule that produces a detectable signal, such as a color change, indicating the presence of the pathogen. This technology has been adapted to detect a wide range of infectious agents, including Zika virus, dengue virus, and SARS-CoV-2, with high sensitivity and specificity.

The development of CRISPR-based diagnostics holds great promise for improving infectious disease detection, especially in areas with limited access to healthcare. These tools could enable rapid, point-of-care testing, allowing for timely diagnosis and treatment, and reducing the spread of infectious diseases.

CRISPR as a Therapeutic Tool

Beyond diagnostics and research, CRISPR also has the potential to be used as a therapeutic tool for treating infectious diseases. One approach involves using CRISPR to directly target and destroy the DNA or RNA of pathogens within infected cells. This strategy has been explored for the treatment of viral infections, such as HIV and hepatitis B.

For instance, researchers have used CRISPR-Cas9 to target and excise the integrated HIV genome from infected cells, effectively eliminating the virus. While this approach is still in the experimental stages, it represents a promising avenue for developing a potential cure for HIV. Similarly, CRISPR has been used to target and disable the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome in liver cells, offering hope for a new therapeutic strategy against chronic HBV infection.

Another promising application of CRISPR is in the development of gene therapies that enhance the host immune response to infectious diseases. By editing immune cells to improve their ability to recognize and attack pathogens, researchers hope to create more effective treatments for diseases such as cancer, where the immune system plays a crucial role in fighting off infection.

How EditCo is Accelerating the Fight Against Infectious Disease

Combating Infection Disease with Innovative CRISPR Technologies

In studies of infectious diseases, where understanding the interaction between host and pathogen is critical, EditCo’s CRISPR technology provides the tools to dissect these complex dynamics. Our engineered cells and reagents enable precise and efficient manipulation of the genome allowing for the study of infection diseases in controlled environments. With EditCo, researchers can model infections and test potential treatments with unparalleled accuracy, driving discoveries that can lead to new therapeutic strategies against infection diseases.

Intelligent Guide Design

EditCo’s innovative approach to smart guide design allows efficient gene disruption generation, eliminating the trial and error associated with common guide design strategies. All our reagents are designed to streamline your research, ensuring more accurate and reliable results.

CRISPR Knockouts & Screens Help Identify Genes Associated With Infectivity

With intelligent guide design strategy, EditCo is able to simply and effectively knockout genes guaranteed with our Gene Knockout Kits or do high-throughput genomic screening with Arrayed gRNA Libraries, allowing for clear genotype-to-phenotype answers for many genes at scale and quickly.

The figure at the top of the section is an example of CRISPR knockout screen to analyze the impact of viral infectivity. Caco-2 cells with CRISPR knockouts (KO) of each human gene from the SARS-CoV-2 interactome were infected with SARS-CoV-2, and supernatants were serially diluted and plated onto Vero E6 cells for quantification of viral particles.

Simplify Building Gene Knockouts with Edited-to-Order Engineered Cells

We have streamlined the editing step of the knockout and knock-in experimental workflow by completely eliminating the need for scientists to optimize the transfection themselves. Our Engineered Cells family, enabled through our novel, high-throughput CRISPR platform, allows all researchers to affordably access state-of-the-art knockouts and precision knock-ins in pool or clonal formats. EditCo offers a wide range of ATCC-supplied immortalized cell lines, iPS cells, and primary cells – OR – onboard your own cell lines!

For researchers who are studying multiple parts in a pathway and need to systematically knock out each gene, EditCo’s Knockout Cell Pools provide the fastest way to obtain CRISPR knockouts so the researcher can elucidate every gene’s role. Unlike clones, Knockout Cell Pools are a faster, economical, and “bench-free” option so the researcher can obtain and test multiple gene knockouts in parallel, and not miss out on any gene targets. Express KO pools deliver high editing efficiency, and can be assayed directly to allow quick phenotypic checks without having to wait to generate a clone.

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Infectious Disease