Applications of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in murine cancer modeling

Advanced biological technologies allowing for genetic manipulation of the genome are increasingly being used to unravel the molecular pathogenesis of human diseases. The clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeat/CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas) technology started a revolution of this field owing to its flexibility and relative ease of use. Recently, application of the CRISPR/Cas9 system has been extended to in vivo approaches, leveraging its potential for human disease modeling. Particularly in oncological research, where genetic defects in somatic cells are tightly linked to etiology and pathological phenotypes, the CRISPR/Cas technology is being used to recapitulate various types of genetic aberrations. Here we review murine cancer models that have been developed via combining the CRISPR/Cas9 technology with in vivo somatic gene transfer approaches. Exploiting these methodological advances will further accelerate detailed investigations of tumor etiology and treatment.