Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute Achieves First Domestic Visualization of CRISPR Gene Editing

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute announced on the 23rd that it has succeeded for the first time in Korea in visualizing the CRISPR gene-editing tool using the radioactive isotope Zirconium-89 (Zr-89).

Journal of Controlled Release cover image, showing the healing of cirrhotic areas due to collagen expression suppression by CRISPR proteins.

CRISPR gene-editing tools cut damaged DNA from the genes of animals and plants and replace it with normal DNA to suppress diseases. The gene-editing tool consists of guide RNA, which acts as a guide, and an enzyme protein that recognizes and cuts the target site, operating within the body.

Dr. Jung-Hoon Park’s research team at the Accelerator Isotope Research Laboratory of the Advanced Radiation Research Institute developed a new bio-material by combining one of the gene-editing tools, Cas12a* protein, with the medical radioactive isotope Zirconium-89. This new material allows tracking of gamma rays emitted from Zirconium-89 to visualize where the gene-editing tool moves. By accurately identifying the location of the gene-editing tool as it targets specific DNA, it is expected to have high utility by enhancing therapeutic effects.

This study was conducted with the aim of treating liver cirrhosis. The CRISPR gene-editing tool was designed to suppress the proliferation of collagen, which adversely affects liver cirrhosis. After synthesizing this gene-editing tool with Zirconium-89, it was encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles to ensure effective delivery within the body and administered intravenously to the liver. By confirming this process through PET imaging, the activity of the gene-editing tool can be monitored.

Supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT’s Nuclear Research and Development Project and the Basic Individual Research Support Project, this study was selected as the cover paper of the international journal Journal of Controlled Release (JCR) and published in January of this year. In Korea, the paper was also registered on the website “People Who Brightened Korea,” hosted by the POSTECH Biology Research Information Center. (Paper title: A radioactive CRISPR interference system using 89Zr-labeled LbCas12a)

Dr. Jung-Hoon Park, head of the Accelerator Isotope Development Laboratory at the Advanced Radiation Research Institute, stated, “We will continue to produce research outcomes that the public can feel by integrating medical radioactive isotope and bio-material technologies with basic research fields.”

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