So, Dr. Ryotaro Hashizume and his crew over at Mie University just did something wild: they managed to yank out that extra chromosome 21 in cells (you know, the one responsible for Down syndrome) and left the other two right where they belong.
Nobody’s pulled that off before. It’s honestly a massive leap for genetics. Like, this isn’t just tinkering around the edges; they went straight for the root problem and zapped it. Pretty nuts, right?
Down syndrome pops up in about 1 out of every 700 babies, give or take. It happens when someone ends up with a bonus copy of chromosome 21, yep, three instead of two.
That little genetic twist throws a wrench in the usual development process, leading to things like learning challenges, some recognizable facial features, and a higher chance of stuff like heart issues or even Alzheimer’s showing up way earlier than you’d expect. Wild how just one extra chromosome can change so much, right?
So, the researchers went for this thing called allele-specific editing. They trained CRISPR-Cas9 to hunt down and slice up only the extra chromosome’s DNA. Once they took a swing at it and cut it, the wonky chromosome just kinda fizzled out on its own while the cells kept dividing.
So, get this: in the lab, they managed to kick out the extra chromosome from, like, almost a third of the cells, 30.6%, to be exact. Wild, right? And after that, those cells started acting pretty normal. Gene activity? Back on track. Protein levels? Sorted.
The cells weren’t dying off like before, either; they started behaving like regular, healthy cells. Even better, this trick worked not just with stem cells but also with actual skin cells from people with Down syndrome. That’s kind of huge.
Honestly, it’ll probably be ages before doctors can use this in real life, but this is a pretty big step forward. Maybe, just maybe, down the line, this could help take the edge off some of the tougher health stuff that comes with Down syndrome. Not a cure-all, but hey, progress is progress.
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