Author: Flora Hui, Research Fellow, Centre for Eye Research Australia and Honorary Fellow, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), The University of Melbourne

The United States Food and Drug Administration has just approved the first-ever clinical trial that uses CRISPR-Cas13 RNA editing. Its aim is to treat an eye disease called wet age-related macular degeneration that causes vision loss in millions of older people worldwide. This trial marks a new frontier in gene therapy – the process of treating or curing medical conditions by changing a person’s genes. What makes it special is the fact the therapy targets RNA, instead of DNA. So, what does that mean, and why should we be excited? What is gene editing and how is it used? Genes…