New groundbreaking technique may help cure diseases by 'editing' DNA

Researchers have for the first time cured a genetic disease in animals by editing their DNA.

In the latest study, scientists at (MIT) used Crispr - a tech that allows researchers to make almost any DNA change at precisely defined points on the chromosomes of animals or plants - to locate and correct the single mutated DNA base pair in a liver gene known as LAH, which can lead to a fatal build-up of the amino acid tyrosine in humans and has to be treated with drugs and a special diet, the Independent reported.

The researchers cured mice suffering from the disease by altering the DNA of about a 3 per cent of their liver cells using the Crispr technique, delivered via high-pressure intravenous injections.

Delivering Crispr safely and efficiently to affected human cells is presently one of the biggest obstacles to lead to its widespread use in medicine.