By Margaret Russell 
Overview of the breakthrough
Chinese researchers reported a genome engineering method that targets large stretches of DNA rather than only short sequences. The team from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences says the work was published in Cell and could aid both crop breeding and the treatment of inherited disorders. The development was first covered by the science outlet Keji Ribao.
What the team achieved
Precise operations on big genomic regions
In test systems using animal and plant cells, the platform enabled four demanding edits. Scientists inserted a segment about 18,800 base pairs long. They swapped out a stretch of roughly 5,000 base pairs. They flipped the orientation of a region spanning about 12 million base pairs. They also deleted a sequence of around 4 million base pairs. These tasks are traditionally difficult with standard CRISPR methods that excel at short edits.
A programmable approach to chromosome engineering
Local media described the technique as programmable chromosomal engineering. The emphasis is on orchestrating large structural changes with control similar to small site edits. If reproducible across cell types, the method could become a complementary tool alongside CRISPR and base or prime editing.
Why this matters
Potential for agriculture and medicine
Large segment edits open options in plant breeding such as combining complex traits controlled by multiple genes and structural elements. In medicine, the same capability could help correct or bypass mutations that span long genomic regions or structural rearrangements that drive disease. The authors suggest both avenues as near term targets once safety and delivery are addressed.
Context inside China
A leading but closely watched gene editing landscape
China is a major center for genetic engineering research. The country also carries a highly publicized cautionary tale. In 2018 the researcher He Jiankui announced the birth of gene-edited twins known as Lulu and Nana followed by a third child in 2019. He was later sentenced to prison and subsequently returned to work on affordable gene therapies for rare disorders. Media reports in 2023 said he resumed gene editing research using AI techniques. This history shapes oversight conversations around any new DNA editing platform.
What comes next
Key hurdles before translation
The road to practical use runs through delivery to target tissues, off target assessment for big edits, and regulatory scrutiny. Publishing in a top journal signals peer review of core experiments, yet large scale chromosome engineering will demand extensive validation in organisms and careful ethical review for clinical plans. If those steps progress, the method could join the expanding toolbox for rewriting genomes at scales previously out of reach.
Bottom line
A step toward editing genomes at scale
Researchers in China report a programmable strategy for altering long DNA fragments with insertions, replacements, inversions, and deletions measured from thousands to millions of base pairs. The advance promises utility in crops and genetic disease research while reviving debates on governance and safety around powerful editing technologies.