The CRISPR/Cas system, an innovative gene-editing tool, is emerging as a promising technique for genome modifications. This straightforward technique was created based on the prokaryotic adaptive immune defense mechanism and employed in the studies on human diseases that proved enormous therapeutic potential. A genetically unique patient mutation in the process of gene therapy can be corrected by the CRISPR method to treat diseases that traditional methods were unable to cure. However, introduction of CRISPR/Cas9 into the clinic will be challenging because we still need to improve the technology's effectiveness, precision, and applications. In this review, we first describe the function and applications of the CRISPR–Cas9 system. We next delineate how this technology could be utilized for gene therapy of various human disorders, including cancer and infectious diseases and highlight the promising examples in the field. Finally, we document current challenges and the potential solutions to overcome these obstacles for the effective use of CRISPR–Cas9 in clinical practice.

microRNA-3613 (hsa-miR-3613-5p), a biomarker with a dual role, oncogenic or tumor suppressor, is associated with different types of cancers. This study aimed to assess the correlation between the hsa-miR-3613-5p gene expression and Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC). Using several bioinformatics tools, we examined the expression level and clinicopathological value of hsa-miR-3613-5p in patients with KIRC compared to normal tissues. Other metrics include survival analysis, diagnostic merit of hsa-miR-3613-5p, downstream target prediction, potential upstream lncRNAs, network construction, and functional enrichment analysis hsa-miR-3613-5p, were performed. We observed that overexpression of hsa-miR-3613-5p in KIRC tissues had valuable diagnostic merit and significantly was correlated with the poor overall survival of KIRC patients. We also realized a correlation between abnormal expression hsa-miR-3613-5p and several clinical parameters such as pathological stage, race, age, and histological grades of patients with KIRC. Moreover, we identified the most potential regulatory of hsa-miR-3613-5p in KIRC with 17 different axes, including four pseudogenes, two lncRNAs, and three mRNAs. Besides, we discovered six variants in mature miRNA of hsa-miR-3613-5p. Finally, pathway enrichment analysis uncovered that top-ranked pathways for hsa-miR-3613-5p are cell cycle, cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), and hepatocellular carcinoma pathways. The present report demonstrated that the higher expression of hsa-miR-3613-5p is associated with the progression of KIRC, therefore. It may be considered a valuable indicator for the early detection, risk stratification, and targeted treatment of patients with KIRC.

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The period (PER) family genes (PER1, PER2, and PER3) play a fundamental role in regulating the day/night cycle. PER3 has a pseudogene variant, PER3P1 or PER4, whose role and expression pattern is unclear in human health and diseases. This study was performed to evaluate the expression levels of normal PER family members and the PER3P1 pseudogene in colorectal cancer (CRC) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Blood samples were taken from 50 diabetic patients and analyzed using real-time PCR for quantification of PER3 and PER3P1 expression. Colorectal tumor tissues of 50 individuals were also used to evaluate the expression of PER members. All PER members, including PER3P1, were found to be downregulated in colorectal tumor samples. Blood samples collected from diabetic subjects revealed an opposite expression pattern; both PER3 and its pseudogene were found to be upregulated when compared to the control group. Our results reveal coordination between the expression pattern of PER3P1 and normal PER family genes. Based on our findings and the pathological importance of this pseudogene, it can be suggested that PER3P1 may be one of the key regulators of the molecular clock network and PER family expression. This hypothesis needs to be confirmed by further studies.