CRISPR-Cas9 Mediated Gene Editing for Targeted Cancer Therapy: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Clinical Applications

The CRISPR-Cas9 system has revolutionized gene editing with its high efficiency and specificity, offering new avenues for targeted cancer therapy. This review focuses on the mechanisms through which CRISPR-Cas9 can be used to suppress oncogenes, restore tumor suppressor genes, and enhance immunotherapy by editing key genetic sequences. This review also explores how CRISPR-Cas9 targets DNA repair pathways such as homology-directed repair (HDR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), emphasizing the precision required for successful cancer treatment. Despite promising in vitro results and ongoing clinical trials, challenges such as off-target effects and immune responses remain. This review also highlights advances in CRISPR technology, preclinical and clinical studies, combination therapies, and future directions in cancer therapy. Keywords: CRISPR-Cas9, cancer therapy, gene editing, DNA repair pathways, oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, immunotherapy, clinical trials