Advances in Therapeutic Applications of CRISPR Genome Editing for Spinal Pain Management.

Abstract

Neuropathic pain remains a significant clinical challenge due to the limited efficacy and sustainability of existing pharmacological treatments, underscoring the urgent need for mechanism-based therapeutic strategies. In recent years, gene-targeted interventions have emerged as promising modalities capable of modulating key molecular pathways implicated in chronic pain. Approaches such as antisense oligonucleotides and RNA interference have demonstrated encouraging preclinical results by selectively downregulating pain-associated genes. Based on these developments, genome-editing technologies-particularly the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) system-have enabled more precise and long-lasting modifications at both the DNA and RNA levels. This review highlights how CRISPR-based approaches in addressing the critical issues of specificity and long-term efficacy in pain gene therapy and exploring the functional roles of key gene targets and regulatory elements. Although challenges such as off-target activity and immunogenic responses remain, growing preclinical evidence supports the feasibility of CRISPR-based approaches in neuropathic pain. Collectively, these developments position CRISPR as a transformative tool to innovate the standard care for persistent pain syndromes and contribute to broader biomedical and pharmaceutical developments through continued refinement of targeting strategies and safety profiles.