Application and development of CRISPR-Cas12a methods for the molecular diagnosis of cancer: A review

Abstract

Rapid, sensitive, and specific molecular detection methods are crucial for diagnosing, treating and prognosing cancer patients. With advancements in biotechnology, molecular diagnostic technology has garnered significant attention as a fast and accurate method for cancer diagnosis. CRISPR-Cas12a (Cpf1), an important CRISPR-Cas family member, has revolutionized the field of molecular diagnosis since its introduction. CRISPR-Cas technologies are a new generation of molecular tools that are widely used in the detection of pathogens, cancers, and other diseases. Liquid biopsy methods based on CRISPR-Cas12a have demonstrated remarkable success in cancer diagnosis, encompassing the detection of DNA mutations, DNA methylation, tumor-related viruses, and non-nucleic acid molecule identification. This review systematically discusses the developmental history, key technologies, and principles of CRISPR-Cas12a-based molecular diagnostic techniques and their applications in cancer diagnosis. This review has also discussed the future development directions of CRISPR-Cas12a, aiming for it to become a reliable new technology that can be used in clinical application.

Keywords: CRISPR-Cas12a; Cancer diagnosis; Liquid biopsy; Molecular diagnostic.