How does this REALLY work?

Understanding the problem:

Diabetes has become one of the most important public health issues worldwide in the 21st century and has been identified as one of five priority noncommunicable diseases by the World Health Organization in its Action Plan to address noncommunicable diseases challenges (1). According to the Diabetes Atlas (10th edition) released by the International Diabetes Federation at the end of 2021, the number of adults with diabetes worldwide reached 537 million (10.5%), with an increase of 74 million compared with 2019, and global diabetes-related health expenditures were estimated to be at least $966 billion (2).

Our solution?

Glad you asked.

Imidazole propionate (ImP) is a endproduct of histidine metabolism. Histidine is an essential amino acid, meaning your body cannot produce it and must obtain it from your diet. When histidine is broken down, ImP is created, and an excess of ImP impairs glucose metabolism, leading to type 2 diabetes.

We are employing the groundbreaking CRISPR Cas-9 treatment to address a significant health concern: the overproduction of imidizole propionate (ImP), which directly contributes to type 2 diabetes. CRISPR-Cas9, an acronym for "Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats," is a powerful gene-editing tool that has revolutionized molecular biology by allowing scientists to modify the genomes of living organisms efficiently.

We found that the gene responsible for ImP production is called urocanate reductase (uroc1).

Here's a simplified explanation of how CRISPR-Cas9 works:

We will introduce two components into your body – a piece of guide RNA and a Cas-9 ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex. The guide RNA serves as a map that leads the Cas-9 RNP complex, acting as molecular scissors, to the precise location of the urdA gene in your DNA. Once there, the Cas-9 RNP complex cuts the gene, effectively disabling it and preventing it from producing ImP.

By using CRISPR-Cas9 to target and disable the urdA gene, we aim to reduce ImP levels and, consequently, minimize the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This treatment offers a promising and relatively affordable approach to addressing a significant health concern, marking an exciting step forward in the realm of precision medicine.

But wait! If you want to know more, check out the full article which explains the problem and the science way more in depth HERE.