Scientists make precise gene edits to mitochondrial DNA for first time

Scientists make precise gene edits to mitochondrial DNA for first time

Precise edits to mitochondrial DNA

A peculiar bacterial enzyme has allowed researchers to achieve what even the popular CRISPR–Cas9 genome-editing system couldn’t manage: targeted changes to the genomes of mitochondria, cells’ crucial energy-producing structures. The technique could allow researchers to develop new ways to study, and perhaps even treat, diseases caused by mutations in the mitochondrial genome. “It’s an amazing step forward,” says mitochondrial geneticist Michal Minczuk.

Nature | 5 min readReference: Nature paper