CRISPR/CAS Targeted in vivo Genome Modification for Studying the Functional Role of Genomic Regulatory Elements in Health and Carcinogenesis

One problem in the study of regulatory mechanisms in living systems is the difficulty in analysis of regulatory elements in their natural context. One promising way to solve this problem is direct in situ modification of regulatory element sequences. The new technology of gene modification based on the bacterial CRISPR/Cas system allows one to quickly and accurately modify any genomic fragment, in particular, in cells of an adult organism. This review considers principles of the CRISPR/Cas technology and its application to the study of regulatory elements, as well as the potential of using this technology in studies of regulatory systems in pancreas tumors.