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CRISPR Technology for Breast Cancer: Diagnostics, Modeling, and Therapy.

Authors :
Mintz RL
Gao MA
Lo K
Lao YH
Li M
Leong KW
Source :
Advanced biosystems [Adv Biosyst] 2018 Nov; Vol. 2 (11). Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Aug 17.
Publication Year :
2018

Abstract

Molecularly, breast cancer represents a highly heterogenous family of neoplastic disorders, with substantial interpatient variations regarding genetic mutations, cell composition, transcriptional profiles, and treatment response. Consequently, there is an increasing demand for alternative diagnostic approaches aimed at the molecular annotation of the disease on a patient-by-patient basis and the design of more personalized treatments. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) technology enables the development of such novel approaches. For instance, in diagnostics, the use of the RNA-specific C2c2 system allows ultrasensitive nucleic acid detection and could be used to characterize the mutational repertoire and transcriptional breast cancer signatures. In disease modeling, CRISPR/Cas9 technology can be applied to selectively engineer oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes involved in disease pathogenesis. In treatment, CRISPR/Cas9 can be used to develop gene-therapy, while its catalytically-dead variant (dCas9) can be applied to reprogram the epigenetic landscape of malignant cells. As immunotherapy becomes increasingly prominent in cancer treatment, CRISPR/Cas9 can engineer the immune cells to redirect them against cancer cells and potentiate antitumor immune responses. In this review, CRISPR strategies for the advancement of breast cancer diagnostics, modeling, and treatment are highlighted, culminating in a perspective on developing a precision medicine-based approach against breast cancer.<br />Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2366-7478
Volume :
2
Issue :
11
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Advanced biosystems
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
32832592
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1002/adbi.201800132