SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 7 (TNSjou) -- The University of Utah Health issued the following news release:

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New Kind of CRISPR Could Treat Viral Infection and Cancer by Shredding Sick Cells' DNA

Key points:

* A new technology uses a relative of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system to kill target cells.

* When activated by a specific, programmable genetic target, the Cas12a2 protein rips a cell's genome apart.