New CRISPR technology developed by researchers from Japan and the US can increase cancer cells’ sensitivity to the immune system, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Turning off the switches responsible for DNA methylation in cancer-causing genes has the potential to increase proteins in cancer cells, thus increasing cancer-recognising MHC class I cells, or immune complex. “This is a radically new approach, and I’ve felt lucky to be a part of it,” said Paul de Figueiredo, the study’s principal investigator.
