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[–] Lucretius ago 

CRISPR/Cas9 cleaves DNA. However, an alternative version, CRISPR/Cas13 cleaves RNA. LEAPER sounds like an alternate Cas13 activity that converts a targeted RNA A base to an RNA G base at the same location rather than cleaving the RNA at the target location.

CRISPR is a versatile tool… analogous to a paint brush. The various Cas proteins are different paint colors to pair with it. LEAPER is just a different sort of paint… not a different kind of paintbrush.

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[–] meowski ago 

The important distinction is it's not altering the genome. It's altering the gene product. Therefore the trait will not be permanent (unless the rna can be reverse transcribed back into the dna but under normal cirumstances it won't)

To have any meaningful effect on an organism it will require a constant supply of RNA editing machinery.

With CRISPR, you can edit zygotes or a few cells in a fertilized ova, which is a practical method of applying the trait to the entire germline of the organism.

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[–] Lucretius ago 

Not all CRISPR is the same… The germline editing you are talking about is CRISPR/Cas9. But the transient quality of the RNA editing that LEAPER has, and you correctly point out, was present in some of the CRISPR flavors before LEAPER… notably CRISPR/Cas13.