Gene editing ‘blocks virus spread’ in human cells

PARIS: Scientists have used CRISPR gene-editing technology to successfully block the transmission of the SARS-COV-2 virus in infected human cells, according to research released on Tuesday that could pave the way for COVID-19 treatments.

Writing in the journal Nature Communications, researchers in Australia said the tool was effective against viral transmissions in lab tests, adding that they hoped to begin animal trials soon.

CRISPR, which allows scientists to alter DNA sequences and modify gene function, has already shown promise in eliminating the genetic coding that drives the development of children’s cancer.

The team in Tuesday’s study used an enzyme, CRISPR-CAS13B, that binds to relevant RNA sequences on the novel coronavirus and degrades the genome it needs to replicate inside human cells.

Lead author Sharon Lewin from Australia’s Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity told AFP that the team had designed the CRISPR tool to recognise SARS-COV-2, the virus responsibly for COVID-19.

“Once the virus is recognised, the CRISPR enzyme is activated and chops up the virus,” she said.

“We targeted several parts of the virus -- parts that are very stable and don’t change and parts that are highly changeable -- and all worked very well in chopping up the virus.”

The technique also succeeded in stopping viral replication in samples of so-called “variants of concern” such as Alpha.

Although there are several COVID-19 vaccines already on the market, available treatment options are still relatively scarce and only partially effective.

Lewin said that using the CRISPR technique in widely available medicine was probably “years, not months” away.

But she insisted that the tool could still prove useful in tackling COVID-19.

Meanwhile, a Tiktok feature that allows users to add another person’s audio to their videos is being used to promote misleading and harmful content about COVID-19 vaccines, a think tank said in a new report.

The London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue analysed 124 videos that used speech from four original Tiktok videos, including two that were removed by the company for breaking its COVID-19 misinformation rules, to push misinformation and stoke fears about vaccine side-effects. The 124 videos had more than 20 million views.

“There’s a part of the content which is still able to travel,” said Ciaran O’connor, an analyst at the counter-extremism think tank. He likened the spread of misinformation though Tiktok’s “Sounds” feature to Whatsapp audio messages that proliferated during the pandemic.