CRISPR-Edited Cell Lines: A New Era in Functional Oncology Research

The use of CRISPR-Cas9 to engineer cancer cell lines has made it possible to precisely examine how cancer cells react to different drugs and therapies. Some of the key improvements are in the use of Mediator Complex Subunit 12 (MED12)-knockout cells to study cell resistance to BRAF inhibitors, CRISPR models of epithelial-mesenchymal transition for breast cancer, and pharmacogenomic analysis in various cancer cell lines. CRISPR is used in immunotherapy to help Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR-T) cells function better by disrupting the immune checkpoints like Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 (PD-1) and Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) and to adapt T cells to react with various antigens. As a result of these innovations, it is now possible to track how cancers like non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and ovarian cancer evolve, change their epigenetic features, and find strategies to reverse their resistance. Moving forward, integrating AI analytics, single-cell multi-omics, patient-derived organoids, and CRISPR mechanisms will help improve precision oncology and speed up effective treatment planning.