Avoiding the off-target effects of CRISPR/cas9 system is still a challenging accomplishment for genetic transformation.
Gene, 700: 176-178 PMID 30898720 DOI 10.1016/j.gene.2019.03.019
Abstract
The recent disclosure of a human embryo subjected to a genetic transformation using the CRISPR/cas9 system give rise to several concerns on ethical questions about its uncontrolled use in humans. Although CRISPR/cas9 has demonstrated its efficiency, this system still lacks the capability to avoid the introduction of undesirable mutations through the target genome. In this Letter, we present several undesirable impacts that CRISPR/cas9 system have in the genetic transformation of the human genome. We briefly discuss, using the very recent literature from distinct high impact journals, the main concerns related to CRISPR/cas9 to deal with off-target effects and how the research community has treated it.