The Advancement of Prime Editing Technology.

Abstract

The advent of CRISPR/Cas genome editing has spurred major breakthroughs across life sciences, offering vast potential across numerous research and application fields. Among the expanding toolkit of CRISPR/Cas-derived methods, prime editing (PE) stands out for its versatility and specificity, enabling precise point mutations and small insertions or deletions without requiring double-stranded DNA breaks. Since its introduction, PE has undergone multiple rounds of optimization to improve performance. In this review, we first outline the core components and mechanism of prime editors, followed by four key evolution strategies: protein engineering, pegRNA modifications, accessory protein recruitment, and paired pegRNA approaches. We then discuss persistent challenges and outline possible refinements, highlighting how further innovations can expand prime editing's utility across diverse areas of research, biotechnology, and potential therapeutic interventions.