The present and future of genome editing in cancer research

The widespread use of high-throughput genome sequencing methods is profoundly changing the way we understand, classify, and treat human cancers. To make sense of the deluge of sequencing data generated in the clinic, more effective and rapid assessments of the functional relevance of newly discovered cancer-associated mutations are urgently needed. In this review, we discuss how genome editing technologies are responding to this major challenge. Largely focusing on CRISPR-based methods, we will highlight their potential to accelerate discovery, discuss their current limitations, and speculate about future applications.