Gene editing tools have been explored as a way to better understand genetic functions and prevent diseases. Recently, a team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign showed that their newly developed gene editing tool, SPLICER, can reduce the formation of amyloid-beta plaque precursors -- proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease -- in mice. SPLICER uses an approach called exon skipping, which involves encouraging cells to skip over faulty or misaligned genetic code sections.