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Like CRISPR, but without cutting

Anuja Kibe receives Helmholtz Enterprise Field Study Fellowship for advancing an innovative genome editing method

CRISPR-Cas holds the potential to revolutionize medicine. However, even this promising gene-editing tool has its limitations: current therapies often rely on genetic bypass strategies that are applicable to only a small fraction of hereditary diseases. A promising alternative could be “Append Editing”—an innovative genome-editing method capable of safely and precisely reversing disease-causing mutations. Anuja Kibe, a postdoctoral researcher in Chase Beisel's department at the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg (HIRI), is committed to taking this technology from bench to bedside. The Helmholtz Association is supporting her project “AE for gene therapy” with 23,000 euros through a Helmholtz Enterprise Field Study Fellowship. The three-month funding period begins on February 1, 2025.

“Unlike conventional CRISPR methods, our approach uses bulky chemical groups that we selectively attach to specific DNA sequences to trigger editing—without the need to cut the DNA,” Kibe explains. This precise method offers enormous potential for in vivo gene therapies, particularly for genetic disorders where conventional gene therapies face limitations. „In addition, the versatile process also has potential applications beyond gene therapy, for example in agriculture and biotechnology,” says the postdoc, hinting at future areas of application.

Helmholtz Enterprise

Helmholtz Enterprise (HE) is the internal program for spin-offs from the Helmholtz Association. The overall purpose of the program is to support scientists to work entrepreneurial and start a well-thought-out business. HE consists of two independent modules. Applications for each module are independent of each other. The Field Study Fellowship finances a budget for personnel and material costs for the Helmholtz Centers or their institutes in order to identify customer needs through interviews and market research. The Spin-off Program finances the establishment of start-up teams working at the Center and the implementation of start-up projects.