Exploration of CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing as therapy for osteoarthritis.

CRISPR-mediated ablation of NGF alleviates OA pain, and deletion of MMP13-1β or IL-1β attenuates structural damage in a post-traumatic OA model. Multiplex ablations of NGF, MMP13 and IL-1β provide benefits on both pain management and joint structure maintenance. Our results suggest that CRISPR-based gene editing is useful for the identification of promising drug targets and the development of feasible therapeutic strategies for OA treatment.