Contribution of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in gene editing and its potential therapeutic benefits in combating antimicrobial-resistant bacteria: a narrative review

Abstract The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-Cas9 (CRISPR/Cas9) technology is an innovative tool in the domain of gene editing, allowing for precise alteration of genetic sequences. It has a substantial implication for battling antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria, which pose a major public health issue. It works by targeting certain DNA and/or RNA sequences and destroying or altering genes that cause antibiotic resistance. This process allows for the deactivation of genes that confer resistance or the direct removal of resistant genes, assisting in restoring bacteria’s susceptibility to antibiotics. Novel developments have enhanced the effectiveness and precision of CRISPR/Cas9, making it a promising tool for therapeutics. This technology can identify, deactivate, and degrade plasmids that carry antibiotic resistance genes, preventing the spread of resistance within bacterial populations. This technology has demonstrated promise in lowering the prevalence of AMR across clinical and environmental settings. In addition, CRISPR/Cas9-based medicines can be designed to specifically eradicate pathogenic bacteria while maintaining beneficial microbiota, providing a considerable benefit over broad-spectrum antibiotics. However, challenges such as potential off-target effects, immune responses, bacterial resistance mechanisms, target and inter-strain variability, delivery inefficiencies, ethical concerns, and administration methods must be addressed to effectively harness CRISPR/Cas9 for treating antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. These results establish CRISPR/Cas9 as a powerful and effective tool in the battle against resistant bacteria, offering potentially novel avenues for the discovery of tailored antimicrobial therapies that may eventually supplement or even substitute standard antibiotics.