Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss researchers find unwanted CRISPR side effects

Repair with gene scissors can lead to new genetic defects
Repair with gene scissors can lead to new genetic defects Keystone-SDA

Under certain circumstances, the targeted correction of faulty sections in the genome can trigger new genetic defects. This was reported by a team from the University of Zurich (UZH) in the case of the rare hereditary disease chronic granulomatosis.

+ Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

This affects around one in 120,000 people, the University of Zurich announced on Wednesday. The disease impairs the immune system and makes those affected susceptible to serious and life-threatening illnesses. Two letters are missing in the DNA sequence of a gene, which means that an enzyme complex that plays an important role in the defense against bacteria is not produced.

+ Is Switzerland ready for gene-edited crops?

In an experiment on a cell culture of immune cells with the same defects as humans, the researchers succeeded in inserting the missing letters at the correct position in the gene using the CRISPR system. However, entire sections of the chromosome in which the repair took place were missing, as the UZH wrote.

The gene scissors occasionally cut the DNA strand in several places on the chromosome. When these cuts are rejoined, entire sections may be incorrectly arranged or missing. This could have unforeseeable medical consequences and, in the worst case, could also contribute to the development of blood cancer.

The research team tested a number of alternative approaches, but was unable to completely prevent the undesirable side effects with any of these measures.

More

Debate
Hosted by: Jessica Davis Plüss

What are your views on genome editing our food?

Genome editing technologies like CRISPR-Cas9 are being tabled as a way to feed the planet. What do you think about the idea?

5 Likes
36 Comments
View the discussion

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Swiss e-ID on the brink of parliamentary approval

More

Swiss e-ID on the brink of parliamentary approval

This content was published on Swiss citizens could have access to an e-ID from 2026 as parliament has agreed to the idea in principle despite still having to iron out some minor issues.

Read more: Swiss e-ID on the brink of parliamentary approval
Solar energy covers eleven percent of Switzerland's electricity needs

More

Solar energy covers 11% of Switzerland’s electricity needs

This content was published on Solar power covers eleven percent of the electricity demand in Switzerland. The industry's turnover for the current year is around CHF 3.7 billion, as shown by the first ever publication of the Swiss Solar Monitor.

Read more: Solar energy covers 11% of Switzerland’s electricity needs
Swiss purchasing managers' indices remain gloomy

More

Swiss purchasing managers remain gloomy

This content was published on The recovery in Swiss industry is a long time coming. The managers responsible for purchasing have lowered their assessments again. By contrast, the services PMI remained in growth territory in November.

Read more: Swiss purchasing managers remain gloomy
Switzerland expresses concern about the situation in Syria

More

Switzerland concerned about situation in Syria

This content was published on Switzerland is concerned about the escalation of hostilities in Syria. It calls on all parties to respect international law and protect the civilian population.

Read more: Switzerland concerned about situation in Syria

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR