New gene therapy technique PRINT uses bird retrotransposon for safe gene insertion

A new gene therapy technique called PRINT, using a retrotransposon from birds, can insert genes into a "safe harbor" in the human genome without disrupting essential genes or leading to cancer. Developed by Kathleen Collins at UC Berkeley, PRINT leverages retrotransposons' ability to efficiently insert entire genes. This approach could complement CRISPR-Cas technology and potentially treat hereditary diseases more effectively. The study will be published in Nature Biotechnology on Feb. 20.