CRISPR Adapted to Prevent Unwanted Mutations

Scientists at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have adapted the CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing system into a genome surveillance tool that acts as a "mutation prevention system" to identify and cut out DNA sequences that carry single point mutations in individual cells. When tested on Escherichia coli strains both in vitro and in the mouse gastrointestinal tract, the system prevented the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that harbor gain-of-function point mutations.R