UCLA scientists alter genes of innate immune cells with DNA-snipping tool

A UCLA research team has successfully used  the powerful gene-editing tool known as CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the DNA of mature innate immune cells, some of the body’s first responders to infections. These blood cells have been notoriously difficult to genetically engineer in the past.While the work was carried out in mice, the ability to  modify the gene expression of these cells could one day allow clinicians to better harness the power of the immune system in the fight against cancer and autoimmune disease.The study, published in the journal Cell Reports, was led by senior author  Tim O’Sullivan, an assistant professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA.“We’ve figured out a way to genetically edit cells that researchers have had a lot of difficulty with in the past,” said O’Sullivan, who is also a member of the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. “The real impact will be if we can one day take cells from patients’ blood, edit them using this approach and put them back in the same patient as an immunotherapy.”Unlike the adaptive immune system, which relies on  the production of antibodies that target specific molecules present on viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens, the innate immune system is the body’s first and more generalized line of defense. Innate immune cells — including macrophages, dendritic cells and...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news