{"id":211871,"date":"2025-04-19T21:13:28","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T02:13:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/scientists-develop-new-gene-editing-tool-that-replaces-entire-genes"},"modified":"2025-04-19T21:13:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T02:13:28","slug":"scientists-develop-new-gene-editing-tool-that-replaces-entire-genes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/scientists-develop-new-gene-editing-tool-that-replaces-entire-genes","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Develop New Gene Editing Tool that Replaces Entire Genes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"aligncenter blog-photo\" href=\"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog.images\/scientists-develop-new-gene-editing-tool-that-replaces-entire-genes.jpg\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Scientists from Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have developed a novel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.isaaa.org\/resources\/genomeediting\/default.asp\" target=\"_blank\">gene editing<\/a> tool called STITCHR. Unlike traditional <a href=\"https:\/\/www.isaaa.org\/resources\/publications\/pocketk\/54\/\" target=\"_blank\">CRISPR<\/a>, STITCHR inserts entire <a href=\"https:\/\/www.isaaa.org\/resources\/publications\/pocketk\/15\/default.asp\" target=\"_blank\">genes<\/a> at precise locations, minimizing unintended mutations. This gene editing tool simplifies use and offers potential as a one-time treatment for genetic disorders.<\/p>\n<p>The technology uses retrotransposons, naturally occurring \u201cjumping genes\u201d found in all eukaryotic organisms, which can move and integrate into genomes. Using computational screening, the researchers identified and reprogrammed a specific retrotransposon to work with the nickase enzyme from CRISPR, forming the complete STITCHR system that allows a precise, seamless gene insertion into the genome.<\/p>\n<p>STITCHR offers the potential to replace or supplement entire genes, creating a more universal treatment option for various genetic diseases. The research team is now working to improve its efficiency and move it toward clinical use. Their study, published in <i>Nature<\/i>, highlights how insights from basic cellular biology can drive innovation in genetic medicine and lead to new therapeutic tools.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scientists from Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have developed a novel gene editing tool called STITCHR. Unlike traditional CRISPR, STITCHR inserts entire genes at precise locations, minimizing unintended mutations. This gene editing tool simplifies use and offers potential as a one-time treatment for genetic disorders. The technology uses retrotransposons, naturally occurring [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":661,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1902,11,1523,412],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-211871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bioengineering","category-biotech-medical","category-computing","category-genetics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/661"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211871\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}