Publication by Shin et al.: Controled cycling and quiescence enables efficient HDR in engraftment-enriched adult hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

In stem cells it is easier to break a gene with CRISPR genome editing than to fix it. The Corn lab and collaborators figure out why this is and how to fix it. The problem lies in a tension between quiescence and division. The authors found a way to make stem cells divide during editing and then go back into quiescence. Mutated genes can thus be repaired while keeping stemness. The approach could lead to cures for disorders such as sickle cell disease.