Repair of CRISPR-guided RNA breaks enables site-specific RNA excision in human cells

Genome editing with CRISPR RNA-guided endonucleases generates DNA breaks that are resolved by cellular DNA repair machinery. However, analogous methods to manipulate RNA remain unavailable. Here, we show that site-specific RNA breaks generated with type III CRISPR complexes are repaired in human cells, and this repair can be used for programmable deletions in human transcripts to restore gene function. Collectively, this work establishes a technology for precise RNA manipulation with potential therapeutic applications.