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. 2018 Oct 24;98(1):36–45. doi: 10.1177/0022034518805978

Figure 6.

Figure 6.

Applications of the CRISPR system in oral and craniofacial biology. Cancer: Immune cells are isolated from patients with oral cancer and receive CRISPR genome editing in vitro. Genome-edited immune cells are then systemically delivered back to the patients for cancer therapy. CRISPR components can be locally delivered to the hot spot of the cancer lesion, following various delivery formats. Craniofacial defect and tissue regeneration: Somatic cells are isolated from human subjects. Through either conventional induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) induction or CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) iPSC induction, somatic cells become iPSCs. Specific stem cell lineages, such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), can be isolated and receive CRISPR editing. Both stem cells can be delivered either systemically or locally to the patient with craniofacial defects. Genome-edited stem cells also contribute to tissue engineering of periodontal ligament cells or dental pulp cells. Infectious diseases: CRISPR may edit the bacterial genome to alter either pathogenicity or the microbiome; CRISPR may edit host regulatory genes to fight against infections; CRISPR may also contribute to developing pathogen-specific antibiotics.