CRISPR-Cas System: Novel Experimental Therapeutic and Diagnostic Approaches for Chronic Liver Diseases

Review CRISPR-Cas System: Novel Experimental Therapeutic and Diagnostic Approaches for Chronic Liver Diseases Teja Naveen Sata and Senthil Kumar Venugopal * Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, South Asian University, New Delhi 110068, India * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +91-1135656620; Fax: +91-1124122511 Received: 7 February 2025; Accepted: 26 February 2025; Published: 8 April 2025 Abstract: Chronic liver disease (CLD), a significant ailment, contributes to nearly two million deaths annually. CLD can be caused by alcohol consumption, fat, viral infections, and genetic disorders. Accurate diagnosis and application of therapeutics are crucial strategies for enhancing the management of CLD. The CRISPR-Cas system, originally a prokaryotic innate immunity mechanism, has evolved into a current-generation tool for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The cis-cleavage feature of the CRISPR-Cas system involves crRNA-guided specific target cleavage. This mechanism is utilized for the development of therapeutics. Few CRISPR-Cas systems possess the additional feature of trans-cleavage, which is non-specific cleavage, also known as collateral cleavage. This unique feature can be exploited to generate diagnostics. In viral hepatitis, CRIPSR-Cas systems have been concurrently applied and reported for viral genome-targeted therapeutics and detection systems. Research on alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty diseases mainly focuses on CRISPR-Cas therapeutics targeting disease progression factors. Also, CRISPR-Cas-based gene editing can be used to manage genetic disorders. In hepatocellular carcinoma, CRISPR-Cas systems are used for oncogene-targeted therapies and biomarker diagnostics. Various viral and non-viral delivery systems for CRISPR-Cas are been proposed for developing therapeutic applications. Despite limited progress, CRISPR-Cas systems have significant potential for broader application in CLD. This review describes the comprehensive use of the CRISPR-Cas system in experimental therapeutic and diagnostic approaches for CLD.