Researchers unveil CRISPR method that selectively destroys cancer cells with common tumor-suppressor mutations

Researchers from IGI, UC Berkeley, UCSF, Gladstone, and Utah institutions reported a CRISPR-based technique called chromatin shredding that kills cells carrying a mutation found in nearly half of cancers. The approach may target hard-to-treat “undruggable” cancers including ovarian, pancreatic, and non-small cell lung cancer, and can potentially be adapted to new mutations.

The work points to a shift from inhibiting cancer-driving genes toward directly exploiting cancer-specific mutations in tumor suppressors. If it proves safe and effective beyond early research, the platform could broaden precision oncology to cancers that have resisted conventional drug development.