'Epigenetic' editing banishes hepatitis B virus
3 hours ago
- Epigenetic editing offers a promising approach to cure chronic hepatitis B by silencing the HBV genome without cutting DNA, avoiding cancer risks associated with gene-editing.
- nChroma Bio's therapy CRMA-1001 uses a modified Cas9 enzyme and RNA guides to add methyl groups to HBV DNA, shutting down viral gene activity.
- Preclinical results in human liver cells, mice, and monkeys showed efficacy and minimal side effects; a clinical trial in humans has begun in Hong Kong and New Zealand.