CRISPR-Cas9: A multifaceted therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment

CRISPR-Cas9 is an RNA guided endonuclease that has revolutionized the ability to edit genome and introduce desired manipulations in the target genomic sequence. It is a flexible methodology and is capable of targeting multiple loci simultaneously. Owing to the fact that cancer is an amalgamation of several genetic mutations, application of CRISPR-Cas9 technology is considered as a novel strategy to combat cancer. Genetic and epigenetic modulations in cancer leads to development of resistance to conventional therapy options. Given the abundance of transcriptomic and genomic alterations in cancer, developing a strategy to decipher these alterations is critical. CRISPR-Cas9 system has proven to be a promising tool in generating cellular and animal models to mimic the mutations and understand their role in tumorigenesis. CRISPR-Cas9 is an upheaval in the field of cancer immunotherapy. Furthermore, CRISPR-Cas9 plays an important role in the development of whole genome libraries for cancer patients. This approach will help understand the diversity in genome variation among the patients and also, will provide multiple variables to scientists to investigate and improvise cancer therapy. This review will focus on the discovery of CRISPR-Cas9 system, mechanisms behind CRISPR technique and its current status as a potential tool for investigating the genomic mutations associated with all cancer types.