With the expansion of the microbiology field of research, a new
genome editing tool arises from the biology of bacteria that
holds the promise of achieving precise modifications in the
genome with a simplicity and versatility that surpasses previous
genome editing methods. This new technique, commonly
named CRISPR/Cas9, led to a rapid expansion of the
biomedical field; more specifically, cancer characterization
and modeling have benefitted greatly from the genome editing
capabilities of CRISPR/Cas9. In this paper, we briefly summarize
recent improvements in CRISPR/Cas9 design meant to
overcome the limitations that have arisen from the nuclease activity
of Cas9 and the influence of this technology in cancer
research. In addition, we present challenges that might impede
the clinical applicability of CRISPR/Cas9 for cancer therapy
and highlight future directions for designing CRISPR/Cas9 delivery
systems that might prove useful for cancer therapeutics.