Ever since scientists first used CRISPR-Cas9 to edit living human cells in 2013, they’ve been saying that the possibilities for using it to treat disease are virtually endless….
The hope is that CRISPR could be used in a one-time procedure to cure some of the most devastating inherited disorders and cancers, some of which have no or few current treatment options…
That might be the dream, but the reality is far different. Already, investigators have delayed the start dates of clinical trials. And the studies slated to start in the next year or two will treat a small number of patients with a few rare diseases. It will probably be years before the technology can be used for more common diseases in more patients.
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In the U.S. and Europe, 2018 might not be the banner year that CRISPR devotees had been hoping for, but Alexey Bersenev, director of the Advanced Cell Therapy Lab at Yale-New Haven Hospital, says 2019 could see a dozen or so submissions for clinical trials.
“The field is currently over-optimistic about possible results of clinical trials,” says Bersenev, who is also cofounder of the database celltrials.org, which tracks cell therapy trials. “Every new and hot biomedical technology usually undergoes an inflated expectations phase.” He says he wouldn’t be surprised if investigators further delay their anticipated clinical trials.
Read full, original post: CRISPR in 2018: Coming to a Human Near You
