A method for altering RNA that works similarly to the CRISPR DNA-editing technique has proven effective in animal tests and could be a powerful new tool for doctors.

The approach, created by a team led by Prashant Mali at the University of California, San Diego, is inherently safer than CRISPR because it doesn’t alter the genome . What’s more, it could be used to temporarily alter gene expression, which could treat conditions such as chronic pain .

“This is a …