[Gene editing is changing the treatment of hereditary diseases]

Gene editing is a novel technology within gene therapy, which changes sequences in chromosomal DNA with precision. Even if there are alternative strategies, the Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR/Cas technology has become the dominating principle. During recent years base editing and prime editing, permitting editing without DNA double-strand breaks, have been developed. The first clinical gene editing results were reported in 2021; since then many patients have been treated, and recently the first treatment was approved as a novel therapy in the UK and later in USA and in EU. This update describes various aspects including methodological developments and safety.