Sunday, April 21, 2019

CRISPR Treats Lung Disease Before Birth

An article is ScienceDaily explains how using CRISPR gene editing can be a new approach for treating a lethal lung disease before birth. A research team from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Penn Medicine used CRISPR on an animal model that had a lethal lung disease. Some lethal lung diseases that the research team is trying to fix before birth are respiratory disorders and congenital causes of respiratory diseases. If a child was to be born with one of these lung diseases, there is a very high chance of death, and that is why research teams are trying fix the lung disease before the baby is born. CRISPR is used to edit gene cells that are lining the airways of the lungs. The researchers identified alveolar epithelial progenitor (AEP) lineage which are cells that keep the lungs from collapsing while breathing. These cells are very stable and replicate quickly to regenerate the lining.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190417171025.htm
I found this article to be very interesting because there are researchers that are trying to figure out new ways to decrease deaths in newborn babies with lung disease. It is also very interesting that they use gene editing to make new cells that can help make a more stable lung for a baby. Lastly, they are doing this gene editing while the baby is in the third trimester which is amazing.

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