Korea University researchers develop ultrasensitive method to detect low-frequency cancer mutations
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 9-Dec-2025 18:11 ET (9-Dec-2025 23:11 GMT/UTC)
MUTE-Seq is a new liquid-biopsy method powered by an engineered ultra-precise CRISPR enzyme, FnCas9-AF2, which can distinguish single-base mismatches across all sgRNA positions with near-zero off-target activity. By selectively removing wild-type DNA before sequencing, it boosts true mutant signals up to tens of times and enables detection as low as ~0.005% VAF. The technique improves MRD monitoring and early-stage cancer detection while avoiding the need for costly ultra-deep sequencing.
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