Christiana Care Gene Editing Institute, Inc.

Pawel Bialk

Eric B Kmiec

Kelly H Banas

Byung-Chun Yoo

The disclosure provides a guide RNA (gRNA) comprising a DNA-binding domain and a Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)-associated endonuclease protein-binding domain, wherein the DNA-binding domain is complementary to a target domain from an NRF2 gene. The disclosure also provides nucleic acid sequence encoding the gRNA. The disclosure further provides a method of treating cancer in a subject comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising a Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)-associated endonuclease and a guide RNA that is complementary to a target domain from an NRF2 gene in the subject. Methods of treating cancer comprising administering a pharmaceutical composition comprising: a DNA sequence encoding a guide RNA that is complementary to a target domain from an NRF2 gene in the subject; and a nucleic acid sequence encoding a Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)-associated endonuclease, are also provided.

Gene knockout of NRF2 for treatment of cancer

This disclosure relates to methods of and compositions for reducing expression or activity of a variant gene comprising at least one mutation as compared its wild-type gene, comprising introducing into a cell comprising the variant gene one or more DNA sequences encoding two or more gRNAs that are complementary to two or more target sequences in the variant gene, wherein at least one of the gRNAs hybridizes to a target sequence comprising a PAM site in the variant gene that results from a mutation to the variant gene creating the PAM site that does not exist in the wild-type gene or is operably linked to a mutated portion of the wild-type gene, at least one of the gRNAs hybridizes to a target sequence comprising a PAM site in an intron of the variant gene downstream or upstream from the PAM site, and a nucleic acid sequence encoding a CRISPR-associated endonuclease; wherein a CRISPR-associated endonuclease cleaves the variant gene at the target sequences; and expression or activity of the variant gene is reduced in the cell relative to a cell in which the one or more DNA sequences encoding the two or more gRNAs and the nucleic acid sequence encoding the CRISPR-associated endonuclease are not introduced.

Methods of and compositions for reducing gene expression and/or activity

The disclosure provides a guide RNA (gRNA) comprising a DNA-binding domain and a Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)-associated endonuclease protein-binding domain, wherein the DNA-binding domain is complementary to a target domain from a variant NRF2 gene found in a cancer cell but not in a non-cancerous cell. The disclosure also provides nucleic acid sequence encoding the gRNA. The disclosure further provides a method of treating cancer in a subject comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising a Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)-associated endonuclease and a guide RNA that is complementary to a target domain from a variant NRF2 gene in the subject. Methods of treating cancer comprising administering a pharmaceutical composition comprising: a DNA sequence encoding a guide RNA that is complementary to a target domain from a variant NRF2 gene in the subject; and a nucleic acid sequence encoding a Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)-associated endonuclease, are also provided.

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Wilmington, DE, United States of America

Pawel Bialk