Advances and obstacles in homology-mediated gene editing of hematopoietic stem cells

Abstract

Homology-directed gene editing of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) is a promising strategy for the treatment of inherited blood disorders, obviating many of the limitations associated with viral vector-mediated gene therapies. The use of CRISPR/Cas9 or other programmable nucleases and improved methods of homology template delivery have enabled precise ex vivo gene editing. These transformative advances have also highlighted technical challenges to achieve high-efficiency gene editing in HSPCs for therapeutic applications. In this review, we dis-cuss recent pre-clinical investigations utilizing homology-mediated gene editing in HSPCs and highlight various strategies to improve editing efficiency in these cells.