New gene editing technology will guide drug development in the 2020s, experts say

Big pharma players “can’t afford” to ignore developments in genome editing technologies and in particular those based on the RNA-guided CRISPR- associated endonuclease CAS9.

That was the view of a group of leading researchers from around the world who gathered in London this week to share their excitement about the latest developments with members of the world’s media at an event staged by UK genomics company Horizon Discovery.

By editing genes and building disease models, these researchers can understand the genetic drivers of disease. They can gain knowledge of drug targets and patient responses to treatments, and then edit genes to build cellular therapeutics.