Published: 2:03am, 11 Mar, 2019 Updated: 3:22am, 11 Mar, 2019
Scientists in China are racing to develop a mutation-free gene editing process which could be used to treat a range of diseases. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences aim to launch clinical trials using the method within 2019, with the technique offering unprecedented levels of patient safety. Traditional gene editing approaches break up a large number of genome strands, however, they can sometimes miss their intended target and cause unnecessary cell damage. By contrast, the new technique involves precisely swapping individual DNA "letters", significantly reducing the risk of unexpected mutations.