Evaluation of off-target and on-target scoring algorithms and integration into the guide RNA selection tool CRISPOR

Cornerstones of CRISPR-Cas in drug discovery and therapy

The recent development of CRISPR-Cas systems as easily accessible and programmable tools for genome editing and regulation is spurring a revolution in biology. Paired with the rapid expansion of reference and personalized genomic sequence information, technologies based on CRISPR-Cas are enabling nearly unlimited genetic manipulation, even in previously difficult contexts, including human cells. Although much attention has focused on the potential of CRISPR-Cas to cure Mendelian diseases, the technology also holds promise to transform the development of therapies to treat complex heritable and somatic disorders. In this Review, we discuss how CRISPR-Cas can affect the next generation of drugs by accelerating the identification and validation of high-value targets, uncovering high-confidence biomarkers and developing differentiated breakthrough therapies. We focus on the promises, pitfalls and hurdles of this revolutionary gene-editing technology, discuss key aspects of different CRISPR-Cas screening platforms and offer our perspectives on the best practices in genome engineering.

CRISPR-Cas9: from Genome Editing to Cancer Research

Cancer development is a multistep process triggered by innate and acquired mutations, which cause the functional abnormality and determine the initiation and progression of tumorigenesis. Gene editing is a widely used engineering tool for generating mutations that enhance tumorigenesis. The recent developed clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR-associated 9 (CRISPR-Cas9) system renews the genome editing approach into a more convenient and efficient way. By rapidly introducing genetic modifications in cell lines, organs and animals, CRISPR-Cas9 system extends the gene editing into whole genome screening, both in loss-of-function and gain-of-function manners. Meanwhile, the system accelerates the establishment of animal cancer models, promoting in vivo studies for cancer research. Furthermore, CRISPR-Cas9 system is modified into diverse innovative tools for observing the dynamic bioprocesses in cancer studies, such as image tracing for targeted DNA, regulation of transcription activation or repression. Here, we view recent technical advances in the application of CRISPR-Cas9 system in cancer genetics, large-scale cancer driver gene hunting, animal cancer modeling and functional studies.

CRISPR/Cas9 in zebrafish: an efficient combination for human genetic diseases modeling

The next-generation sequencing identifies a growing number of candidate genes associated with human genetic diseases, which inevitably requires efficient methods to validate the causal links between genotype and phenotype. Recently, zebrafish, with sufficiently high-throughput capabilities, has become a favored option to study human pathogenesis. In addition, CRISPR/Cas9-based approaches have radically reduced the efforts to introduce targeted genome engineering in various organisms. Here, we systemically review the basic considerations in the design of gene editing in zebrafish with CRISPR/Cas9, and explore the potential of the combination of these two to support efficient functional analysis of human genetic variants.