Genome editing works by utilizing engineered nucleases, which are enzymes that create double-strand breaks in DNA at specific locations. Once these breaks occur, the cell's natural repair mechanisms can be harnessed to introduce changes to the DNA sequence. The two primary repair mechanisms are Non-Homologous End Joining (NHEJ) and Homology Directed Repair (HDR). NHEJ often results in small insertions or deletions, which can knock out gene function, while HDR can be used to introduce specific DNA sequences at the break site.
