Aptamer-guided CRISPR-Cas9 delivery drew focus as a precision-editing approach aimed at overcoming one of the field’s biggest bottlenecks: getting the editing machinery into tumor cells while minimizing off-target exposure. A comprehensive review in Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials outlined how ligand- and affinity-based targeting can refine delivery. Separately, an updated CRISPR base-editing platform in Advanced Science reported a PAM-flexible system paired with truncated deaminase domains to increase both efficiency and targeting flexibility. The work also points to improved control over edit placement. In combination, these stories reinforce a shift from “can CRISPR cut” toward “can CRISPR deliver safely, specifically and efficiently,” a requirement for scaling cancer genome editing from lab systems to clinical use.