Recent advances in prime editing technologies and their promises for therapeutic applications

Prime editing (PE) is a groundbreaking genome editing technology offering unparalleled precision in targeted genome modifications and has great potential for therapeutic applications. This review delves into the core principles of PE and emphasizes its advancements, applications, and prospects. We begin with a brief introduction to PE principles, followed by a detailed examination of recent improvements in efficiency, precision, and the scale of feasible edits. These improvements have been made to the PE systems through guide RNA engineering, protein engineering, DNA repair pathway screening, chromosomal or epigenomic modification, and in silico design and optimization tools. Furthermore, we highlight in vivo studies showcasing the therapeutic potential of PE to model and treat genetic diseases. Moreover, we discuss PE's versatile applications in saturation genome editing and its applicability to nonhuman organisms. In conclusion, we address the challenges and opportunities linked with PE, emphasizing its profound impact on biological research and therapeutics.