Modified viruses have proven a handy way to get CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing materials into the nucleus of cells – but they’re expensive, difficult to scale and potentially toxic. Now, researchers have found a non-viral approach that does the job better.

Most have heard of CRISPR/Cas9, the gene-editing technology that’s revolutionized biomedical research. Now, researchers have added another tool to the gene-editing toolbox after discovering a new way of using the technology that improves its editing efficiency and provides a new way to repair DNA.

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CRISPR/Cas9 tech was adapted from a naturally occurring genome editing system bacteria use as an immune defense. When bacteria are infected by a virus, they ‘cut off’ a small piece of the virus’s DNA and insert it into their own in a particular arrangement known as a CRISPR array. This means the virus can be recognized later and, if it re-invades the bacteria, can be targeted for destruction.

Read more: New Atlas