Base editing and nanoparticle transfection of airway cell types essential for treatment of cystic fibrosis

Durable correction of these variants in airway cells remain a therapeutic challenge for ~10% of individuals unresponsive to CFTR modulators. A common disease-causing CFTR splice site variant 3120+1G>A was corrected in primary CF airway cells using base editor RNAs.

Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed a remarkable increase in detectable CFTR transcript in most CF airway epithelial cell types resulting in notable enrichment of CFTR-expressing ionocytes and secretory goblet cells. Progenitor basal cell subtypes were edited but they decreased as a fraction of total cells and CFTR expressing cells compared to unedited cells.