Engineered CRISPR for nucleic acid imaging at the single-molecule level.

Engineered CRISPR imaging is positioned as a programmable platform for spatially resolved nucleic acid analysis, enabling single-molecule visualization and sequence-variant discrimination.

• Why it matters: Existing nucleic-acid imaging often falls short in sensitivity, specificity, and spatiotemporal resolution, limiting mechanistic studies and molecular diagnostics in complex biological settings.
• What they did: The review synthesizes engineering strategies—Cas protein labeling, guide RNA scaffold modification, and nanomaterial- or protein-assisted signal amplification—covering live-cell tracking, spatial analysis, and real-time monitoring.
• The result: These advances expand CRISPR imaging from genomic loci to individual RNA imaging, but broader clinical use will require rigorous validation of quantitative robustness, specimen compatibility, and standardized workflows.

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