Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center (STAR), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
Nika Furey
Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center (STAR), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
Collin G. Johnson
Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center (STAR), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
Karl-Dimiter Bissig
Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center (STAR), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Corresponding author. Address: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Summary: CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing has revolutionised biomedical research. The ease of design has allowed many groups to apply this technology for disease modelling in animals. While the mouse remains the most commonly used organism for embryonic editing, CRISPR is now increasingly performed with high efficiency in other species. The liver is also amenable to somatic genome editing, and some delivery methods already allow for efficient editing in the whole liver. In this review, we describe CRISPR-edited animals developed for modelling a broad range of human liver disorders, such as acquired and inherited hepatic metabolic diseases and liver cancers. CRISPR has greatly expanded the repertoire of animal models available for the study of human liver disease, advancing our understanding of their pathophysiology and providing new opportunities to develop novel therapeutic approaches.
