Applications of genome editing tools in precision medicine research

The emergence of genome editing tools, such as the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated 9 (Cas9) system, has enabled researchers to achieve somatic and germline genomic manipulations in cell lines and model organisms. Within a couple of years, genome editing is now being rapidly developed for multiple applications and widely used in biomedical researches, including creation of disease models with desired genetic mutations, screening in a high-throughput manner for drug resistance genes, and making appropriate editions to genes in vivo for disease treatment. All these applications have been facilitating the development of precision medicine research. In this review, we describe the use of genome editing technologies for a variety of research and translational applications in the precision medicine field. We also highlight some of the existing limitations or challenges as well as future directions.