CRISPR/Cas9-based genetic editing of mature neurons in the brain

The CRISPR/Cas9-method allows precise and efficient editing of the cellular genome, with to date unmatched simplicity and speed. So far, however, CRISPR/Cas9 could not be used directly in the brain, because the method does not work properly on mature neurons. We recently discovered that by combining CRISPR/Cas9 with a virus, the method’s efficiency can be increased by several orders of magnitude, enabling the use even in mature neurons – irrespective of cell type, brain region or age.