Due to its eukaryotic origin, the OMEGA Fanzor system may have some advantages over the better studied CRISPR/Cas gene editor in terms of human genome editing applications.
Similar to CRISPR/Cas9, Fanzor protein is shown to cleave DNA in test tubes under the guidance of ωRNA and Target-adjacent motif (TAM).
[1] By modifying and tweaking the ωRNA and the amino acid sequence, a second version of the S. punctatus Fanzor protein with improved cleavage efficiency - comparable to that of the CRISPR/Cas12a system - was engineered.
Studies conclude that Fanzor has great potential for efficient human genome editing[1][6] with a higher chance of not getting attacked by the immune system.
[1] Next to the application in human cells, Fanzor is a prospective tool for specific genome editing in plants, because of the aforementioned advantages of the protein being a small size.
[11] Moreover, in regard to the current and arising challenges caused by climate change, crops could be adjusted to better endure stress factors such as drought, salinity and increasing temperatures.