New research into genetic mutations may pave the way for more effective gene therapies

A lab dish containing embryos that have been injected with Cas9 protein and PCSK9 sgRNA is seen in a laboratory in Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong province. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Consider a living cell, which can have thousands of genes. Now think of these genes as dials that can be tweaked to change how the cell grows in a given environment. Tweaking a gene can either increase or decrease growth, and this is made more complex considering these dials are interconnected with each other, like cogs in a machine.