Genetic modifications in cardiology: the role of CRISPR-Cas9 in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases

Introduction. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) continue to be the leading cause of death worldwide. The development of new therapeutic approaches that can more accurately affect the molecular mechanisms of CVD is extremely important. Recent breakthroughs in the field of genetic engineering, such as CRISPR-Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR associated protein 9) technology and related gene-modulating enzymes, open unprecedented opportunities for the creation of new therapies. These technologies make it possible not only to edit the genome, but also to directly eliminate the root causes of CVD. Aim. To analyze the literature on the use of CRISPR-Cas9 in CVD therapy. Materials and methods. The authors conducted a search for publications in the electronic databases PubMed and Elibrary. The evaluation of the articles was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of PRISMA. After the selection procedure, 72 articles were included in the review. Results. The article discusses various aspects of the use of CRISPR for the correction of genetic mutations that contribute to the development of cardiopathies, as well as the prospects of this technology in the context of gene therapy. The article focuses on the possibilities that CRISPR therapy opens up to improve the effectiveness of CVD treatment, and also emphasizes the need for further research to address issues of safety, delivery and long-term effectiveness. The results of the analysis give hope for the creation of innovative approaches to the fight against cardiac ailments, which can significantly improve the quality of life of patients and reduce the incidence rate. Conclusion. To date, the rapidly developing CRISPR toolkit has been successfully implemented into clinical practice due to the many encouraging successes achieved in basic research laboratories and in preclinical trials. These achievements give hope that the complex and long-term problems of CVD can be solved with the help of innovative approaches based on genome editing, which creates a new era in medicine.