Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)Dec 23, 2025

Controlling CRISPR gene editing with light using star-shaped RNA molecules that work without specific DNA sequences

CRISPR Gene Editing Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jun 27, 2026

Abstract

Essence

A photolabile crRNA dendrimer platform enables light-controlled activation of Cas9 and Cas12a editing.

Evidence

This platform experiment tested a single-site, star-shaped crRNA dendrimer strategy for sequence-independent optical regulation of CRISPR/Cas editing.

Caveat

The abstract reports programmable editing control but does not describe disease models, in vivo testing, or therapeutic safety outcomes.

Simplified

Precise spatiotemporal control of CRISPR/Cas editing is vital for studying dynamic processes and ensuring therapeutic safety. We present a single-site photolabile crRNA dendrimer platform enabling robust, sequence-independent optical regulation of Cas9 and Cas12a. This simple, universal strategy achieves rapid OFF-to-ON control with minimal leakage, advancing programmable, light-responsive genome editing for biomedical applications.

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