Epigenome editing companies showcase progress at ASGCT

Epigenome editors are moving into the next phase of demonstrating their promise as safer alternatives to gene editors, as companies begin to show safety and efficacy in non-human primates — but durability remains an open question.

Unlike gene editing, which permanently changes a cell’s DNA code, the goal of epigenome editing is to regulate the expression of a gene, either increasing it or decreasing it, without changing the DNA sequence. Instead, epigenome editors control the exposure of the DNA to the transcriptional machinery or alter the DNA methylation status, but it is not yet known how durable the effects will be. ...