Gene Editing Relieves Autism
Potential Remedy for 25 Million People with Autism More than 25 million people have autism globally. 4 million in the US alone. For them and their families comes hopeful news. Researchers have just discovered that editing a gene in the brain can decrease the repetitive behavior, which is a symptom of autism spectrum disorders. This is believed to be the first time that a causal gene for autism in the brain was successfully edited and the disease's symptoms were diminished. The diminished symptoms were permanent. Nanoparticles at Work Like a Pair of Scissors on DNA Researchers at the University of Texas in San Antonio are behind this breakthrough. They used nanoparticle carriers to inject a gene editing enzyme into the striatum, a brain region associated with the formation of habits. Enzymes are proteins that trigger biochemical reactions. The enzyme used by the team was Cas9. The researchers said Cas9 is like a pair of scissors which they used to cut the genetic blu