PROGRESS IN CRISPR/Cas13-MEDIATED SUPPRESSION OF INFLUENZA A AND SARS-CoV-2 VIRUS INFECTION IN in vitro AND in vivo MODELS

The worldwide number of deaths from complications caused by severe influenza and COVID-19 is about 1 million cases annually. The development of effective antiviral therapy strategies for the disease treatment is one of the most important tasks. The use of the CRISPR/Cas13 system, which specifically degrades viral RNA and significantly reduces the titer of the virus, can be a solution of this problem. Despite the recent discovery, Cas13 nucleases have already shown their high efficiency in suppressing viral transcripts in cell cultures. Recent advances in mRNA technology and improvements in non-viral delivery systems have made it possible to effectively use CRISPR/Cas13 in animal models as well. In this review, we have analyzed the experimental in vitro and in vivo studies on the use of CRISPR/Cas13 systems as antiviral agent in cell cultures and animals and discussed the main directions for improving the CRISPR/Cas13 system. These data allow us to understand the prospects and limitations of further use of CRISPR/Cas13 in the treatment of viral diseases.