AAV-delivered CRISPR-Cas9 elicits persistent retinal immune responses compared with transient responses to RNP

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ABSTRACT CRISPR-Cas9 is a powerful gene-editing tool with great potential for treating genetic diseases, including inherited retinal disorders. However, its bacterial origin can induce immune responses that may eliminate transduced cells, threatening editing efficiency. A deeper understanding of CRISPR-Cas9 immunogenicity is therefore needed. Previous studies have shown that systemic delivery via Cas9 induces an immune response, but the detailed inflammation and the impact of the vector remain unclear, especially in immune-privileged organs like the eye. In this study, we found that Cas9 delivered to the retina using adeno-associated virus (AAV) induced persistent inflammation, whereas delivery as naked ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes resulted in acute inflammation that faded three weeks post-injection. Inflammation was more severe in the rd10 mouse model of inherited retinal degeneration, which exhibits basal inflammation. These findings provide new insights into vector-dependent immune responses to Cas9 in the eye and highlight potential risks associated with its clinical application. TEASER Understanding immune reactions to CRISPR-Cas9 and linking these to their delivery methodology increases their safety.

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