Anti-HSV Ribozymes - What Are They?

[Evaluate]

I was reading Dr. David Bloom's profile page and came across something I did not recognize:

Quote

Our approaches include anti-HSV ribozymes (collaborations with Drs. Al Lewin, Sonal Tuli, Greg Schultz and Donna Neumann), TALENs (collaboration with Dr. Bryan Cullen) and CRISPR-Cas9 (Collaboration with Dr. Bryan Cullen and Editas Medicine).

Does anyone know anything about the anti-HSV ribozymes?

It's also interesting to see that the HSV research using TALENs has not gone to the wayside in favor of CRISPR/Cas9.  I wonder how far Bloom/Cullen's TALEN research has progressed.

[Evaluate]

I found a post on UF's website about anti-HSV ribozymes, specifically hammerhead ribozymes. I haven't heard/seen anything more about it.  Does anyone have thoughts on its feasibility?

[StayingUpbeat]

On 2/20/2016 at 5:38 PM, Evaluate said:

I found a post on UF's website about anti-HSV ribozymes, specifically hammerhead ribozymes. I haven't heard/seen anything more about it.  Does anyone have thoughts on its feasibility?

This concept has been more-or-less totally supplanted by the TALEN and CRISPR technologies (mostly CRISPR) due to their significantly greater specificity, safety, and ease of use. 

[Evaluate]

On 2016-02-27 at 9:36 PM, StayingUpbeat said:

This concept has been more-or-less totally supplanted by the TALEN and CRISPR technologies (mostly CRISPR) due to their significantly greater specificity, safety, and ease of use. 

Thanks for the response.  Do you think that TALEN has been superseded by CRISPR for the same reasons you mentioned?

[StayingUpbeat]

2 hours ago, Evaluate said:

Thanks for the response.  Do you think that TALEN has been superseded by CRISPR for the same reasons you mentioned?

Definitely. CRISPR is actually an easier to work with version of TALEN.  They are both essentially restriction enzymes (DNA Scissors) with a guide sequence.  TALENs were first discovered but are very hard to design and have more off-target issues.  CRISPR/Cas9 is a much more transparent process/technology.  The only downside to CRISPR vs. TALEN (that I know of) is that the guide sequence tends to be a lot larger for CRISPR. 

The people still working with TALEN either have already gotten something into the clinical pipeline or are having trouble with packing the necessary CRISPR sequence into a viral vector due to size.

[Evaluate]

Interesting. Cullen/Bloom have settled on AAV vectors which seem to solve the issue with packing space.  Temple University did not let on to what vectors they are using in their approach, but I've read lots of literature using AAV vectors in other research (such as liver disease), so it's likely AAV that is being used there as well.

Essentially they have a new and better system of cutting DNA, which renders much previous HSV research with ribozymes and TALEN as old hat.  Hopefully it pays off.

It's a bit how crazy things changed in the world of virology seemingly overnight with CRISPR.