CRISPR-Cas9 Gene-Editing Technology for the Screening of Drug Resistance Genes in Tumor Cells

Chemotherapy is the most widely used and effective treatment method in today's cancer treatment. However, the rise of cancer drug resistance has limited chemotherapy effectiveness. The molecular mechanisms and related genes by which many cancer cells acquire resistance to chemotherapy drugs remain to be identified. Recent advancements of CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing techniques have drawn rigorous exploration of precision oncology applications. CRISPR-Cas9 technology can knock out, inhibit or activate the expression of specific genes. By observing the phenotype of gene-edited cells, drug-resistant genes in carcinoma cells can be identified. This paper will decipher the molecular basis of CRISPR-Cas9 technology in targeted gene modification and give examples to illustrate its application in the screening of drug resistance genes in three types of human cancers. Additionally, the application limitations and emerging horizons of CRISPR-Cas9 gene modification technique in strategies for overcoming anticancer drug resistance are discussed. The continuous development and optimization of this technology are expected to provide strong support for breaking through the bottlenecks in tumor treatment and pushing precision cancer medicine to new heights.