Beyond precision oncology: how base editing is shaping the future of cancer therapy

Benjamin Izar, MD, PhD, is pioneering work in base editing, one of these revolutionary new fields. Base editing is a highly precise form of gene editing that allows scientists to directly change individual DNA bases—the building blocks of genetic material—without causing widespread damage to the genome. Unlike other gene-editing technologies like CRISPR-Cas9, which introduces breaks in the DNA that can sometimes lead to unintended consequences, base editing hones in on specific mutations at the molecular level, making it a powerful tool for personalized medicine.

Izar’s research utilizes base editing to understand and potentially stop cancer at its genetic roots. Cancer is fundamentally driven by mutations in key genes that control cell growth, division, and death. Izar investigates how base editing can be used to target these mutations in a highly controlled way, identifying how different genetic alterations contribute to the development and progression of cancer, and, more importantly, how they can be corrected to stop cancer in its tracks.

These methods have recently helped uncover a new strategy for weaponizing the immune system against cancers. “We leveraged base editing to introduce tens of thousands of very specific mutations into normal T cells and found some that ultimately supercharged the T cells to be more effective in attacking cancer cells,” Izar explains. Such an approach could help patients with cancers that don’t respond well to current immunotherapies.

“It turns out that for many patients, the traditional definition of precision oncology is an irrelevant concept, because they don’t have the specific mutation we can target,” says Izar. Instead, he hopes to help move the field toward identifying and targeting more common vulnerabilities in cancer cells.