In vivo CRISPR base editing of PCSK9 durably lowers cholesterol in primates

Abstract

Gene-editing technologies, which include the CRISPR-Cas nucleases^1-3 and CRISPR base editors^4,5, have the potential to permanently modify disease-causing genes in patients⁶. The demonstration of durable editing in target organs of nonhuman primates is a key step before in vivo administration of gene editors to patients in clinical trials. Here we demonstrate that CRISPR base editors that are delivered in vivo using lipid nanoparticles can efficiently and precisely modify disease-related genes in living cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). We observed a near-complete knockdown of PCSK9 in the liver after a single infusion of lipid nanoparticles, with concomitant reductions in blood levels of PCSK9 and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol of approximately 90% and about 60%, respectively; all of these changes remained stable for at least 8 months after a single-dose treatment. In addition to supporting a 'once-and-done' approach to the reduction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (the leading cause of death worldwide⁷), our results provide a proof-of-concept for how CRISPR base editors can be productively applied to make precise single-nucleotide changes in therapeutic target genes in the liver, and potentially in other organs.