Non-surgical In Vivo Germ Cell-mediated Gene Editing by CRISPR Mutagenic Chain Reaction with the Aid of Magnetic Nanoparticles

Gene therapy via germline cells leads to a permanent genetic modification. The promise of this method is due to its potential for providing a stable therapeutic effect for all who inherit the gene of interest. If germinal therapy is successfully performed, it can eliminate certain diseases from the family and the population. The feasibility of genetic modification in the human germline raises several controversial and bioethical issues. However, gene transfer via male and female germinal cells has been recently explored in animal models. Previous studies have shown that delivering DNA to the testes followed by electroporation is relatively successful in producing germline-mediated alterations. Since this method includes surgical procedures, non-surgical, safer, and less timeconsuming methods would be ideal. Herein, we discuss a potential approach for nonsurgical in vivo germ cell-mediated gene editing by CRISPR mutagenic chain reaction with the aid of magnetic nanoparticles.