REVIEW: CRISPR-Cas Methodologies in the Detection and Treatment of Infectious Illnesses

Abstract

The identification of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) and their corresponding Cas proteins, originally a bacterial defense mechanism, has initiated a transformative phase in genetic engineering with significant ramifications for clinical treatment. This review examines the swift advancement and many uses of CRISPR-Cas techniques in the identification and management of infectious diseases, emphasizing their capacity to revolutionize contemporary clinical practice. In diagnostics, systems such as SHERLOCK (for RNA) and DETECTR (for DNA) employ the collateral cleavage activity of Cas nucleases (e.g., Cas12 and Cas13) to enable ultra-sensitive, isothermal, and quick detection of viral and bacterial nucleic acids, including SARS-CoV-2. These field-deployable devices, in conjunction with Next Generation Sequencing augmentation methodologies such as DASH and FLASH for low-frequency targets, signify a substantial advancement beyond conventional diagnostic techniques. Therapeutically CRISPR-Cas provides a means to achieve a functional cure for chronic and latent viral infections by accurately targeting and modifying integrated viral genomes that are typically unreachable by standard antivirals. Promising pre-clinical research has shown the eradication or inactivation of viruses such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) and Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) through tactics like multiplexed guided RNAs and less-mutagenic base editors. Although the remarkable promise is evident, issues of delivery efficiency, off target editing, and host immunity must be resolved as these technologies go into preliminary clinical trials.  Ultimately, CRISPR-Cas techniques represent a disruptive force, offering accurate, diverse, and readily changeable tools that are set to become essential in the clinical management of infectious diseases.