The latest advances in genetic research

Major recent advances in genetic research

Genetic research has provided several new developments in recent years. In recent years, following the discovery of the technique of CRISPR gene editing has opened up the possibility of treating certain diseases genetic diseases By modifying DNA. Most of the advances in recent years have been related to this, but also to discoveries that broaden the scope of study. Let's see:

Pangenome Presentation (2023)

The first draft of the human genome was presented in 2000 and was subsequently gradually completed. However, there was a very broad field of study in the field of genome sequencing and, above all, biases due to the sample of individuals being relatively undiversified.

He The Pangenome Project , presented in May 2023 in the journal Nature, offers greater genetic diversity and precision than in previous studies. Why? Because they used 47 individuals from the following backgrounds: 51% African, 34% American, 13% Asian, and 2% European. There were already 3.2 billion base pairs, but thanks to this greater diversity, more have been discovered. 119 million new pairs .

With the pangenome, gaps in genetic sequencing are filled. This is especially important, not only for general research but also for the treatment of genetic diseases. Therefore, it is beneficial for reducing the rate of ignorance.

Gene-edited HIV vaccine (2023)

In 2023, the HIV cure in mice thanks to a gene editing technique . In this case, the CRISPR technique was combined with the CCR5 co-receptor and the HIV genetic material already integrated into the DNA. Along with this, retrovirals were administered, as is traditionally done in humans as a conservative treatment.

The results, for the moment, are encouraging: a 58% of mice treaties they surpassed infection thanks to this treatment. A truly high percentage, which gives hope for future application in humans. Not surprisingly, the genetic similarities with mice are very high.

New gene editing technique to track cancer (2023)

Another novel element of the CRISPR technique is the ability to treat certain types of cancer. While this is a potential for the future, right now the focus would be on the ability to track in real time cancer cells and its lineage. This is a fundamental question, since knowing where the problem begins would allow us to stop it in time.

Tracing cell lineage is useful, for example, to determine when cells reproduce and metastasize. And it's clear that this information is very useful for cancer treatment. So far, this has been done successfully.

Gene editing with bridging RNA (2024)

The main gene editing technique to date has been CRISPR. However, in 2024, the possibility of performing gene editing with CRISPR has emerged with some success. Bridging RNA .

Thanks to this technique, it would be possible insert, but also delete or assemble fragments in a pre-programmed manner. The reality is that this result, according to studies published in Nature, would be much more precise than that of the CRISPR technique. For example, an insertion success rate of between 60 and 94% can be achieved in bacterial cells. This is a truly high percentage, and would make it an alternative.

In principle, this would provide greater precision than the CRISPR technique. However, experiments are still needed to make an accurate comparison, which is why we call it an experimental technology.

Detection of a new form of genetic Alzheimer's (2024)

Alzheimer's, like other dementias, is still largely unknown. However, one of the major breakthroughs in genetic research this year is the discovery of a A new type of genetic Alzheimer's . It was true that the APOE4 gene was prone to Alzheimer's, but new variants related to the copies have appeared.

It has been discovered that people who have a double copy People with the APOE4 gene are more likely to develop Alzheimer's than those without it. Specifically, 95% of people with this copy have biological markers associated with Alzheimer's. Although the percentage of predisposition was known, it had not been quantified until now. Furthermore, this would mean a greater likelihood of developing this dementia prematurely, as opposed to the current situation.

Extra copies of this gene are present in approximately 2% of the Caucasian population. And the genetic inheritance It's a factor that greatly influences the repetition of these patterns. Therefore, knowing this circumstance precisely is very useful.

Practical applications of genetic research

When we talk about genetic research, we must point out that there are various practical applications. And new advances emphasize the following issues:

• Human health: First, genetic research has served to treat diseases, improving our understanding of the genome and applying gene editing. It should be noted that this is the main social application, with practical expectations.
• Plant genetics: Transgenic organisms allow, for example, to improve a plant and make it more resistant to disease. This leads to their application in numerous crops, with great success.
• Food enrichment: Finally, genetic modification would also serve to enrich the nutrients in certain foods. It's related to plant genetics, but here new elements would be introduced to enhance properties rather than to provide resistance.

As we can see, there are several possibilities. However, so far, the first is the one most widely applied.

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