CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS — Scientists have found a way to rework genetic information without altering DNA, according to new research.

The study, published in the journal Science, details how DNA instructions directed at proteins can be chemically altered via edits to information in the RNA. The DNA remains unchanged, but proteins build cells based on the edited instructions.

The method is not ready for human trials but it could be used to help sufferers of degenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the future.