A team of researchers has developed a CRISPR-based gene editor, C-to-G Base Editor (CGBE), to correct mutations that cause genetic disorders.

One in seventeen people in the world suffers from some type of genetic disorder.

The most common mutation by far is the single-based substitution, in which a single-base in the DNA (such as G) is replaced by another base (such as C) according to the study, published in Nature Communications.

To fix these substitutions, the team invented a CRISPR-based gene editor that precisely changes the defective C within the genome to the desired G.

This C-to-G base editor (CGBE) invention opens up treatment options for approximately 40 per cent of the single-base substitutions that are associated with human diseases such as the aforementioned cystic fibrosis, cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, and neurological disorders.

The CRISPR-Cas9 technology is routinely used to disrupt target genes, but it is inefficient when a precise change to particular sequences is desired.

The CGBE editor resolves a key aspect of this challenge by enabling efficient and precise genetic changes.

This enables a previously unachievable direct conversion from C to G, correcting the mutation and, consequently, treating the genetic disorder.

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