Using CRISPR to find a new drug target for multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease

CRISPR gene editing is a popular tool among scientists searching for new targets in treating inflammatory diseases. A team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center used the technology to study the role of metabolism in the functioning of immune cells, and they ended up uncovering a target they believe could be exploited to treat several inflammatory diseases.

The CRISPR screen pinpointed MTHFD2, a gene that makes an enzyme vital to the development and functioning of the immune system's T cells. Inhibiting the enzyme or genetically eliminating it was effective in animal models of multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and allergy, the researchers reported in the journal Immunity.