In the past two decades, particularly since CRISPR/Cas was recognized as a genome editing tool (https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1225829), genome editing has become a powerful biotechnological tool for many biological and biomedical studies (https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B2100009). CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing not only edits a genome/gene sequence genetically or epigenetically but also can be used to track and monitor a specific DNA/RNA sequence. Thus, CRIPR/Cas-based genome editing currently has been widely using in many fields, particularly in agriculture for improving crop yield, quality and tolerance to various environmental stresses (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.01.005), and biomedicine for gene therapy (https://doi.org/10.1002/jcp.30064). In this special issue, scientists around the world reviewed not only the major achievement in genome editing, majorly focused on CRISPR/Cas, in a variety of fields, including gene therapy and plant breeding, but also CRISPR/Cas tools and their delivery system. This special issue also included several research papers, in which scientists employed CRISPR/Cas and TALEN system to knockout an individual gene for studying Parkinson’s disease and improving epothilone D yield.

Many people contributed significantly to this successful special issue. I would first like to thank the support from the entire genome editing community, especially the authors and anonymous reviewers. I also appreciate the strong support from the Publishing Editor, Ingrid Fischer and the Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Giancarlo Basile. Finally, I have also had the honor and pleasure of serving Molecular Biotechnology as editor and then associate editor for more than one decade. This has been a truly wonderful experience in my research and education career.