Abstract

In the 21st century, the genomic revolution is dawning and with it the way biomedical research is performed. Whole genome sequencing is affordable and therefore, the causes of common genetic diseases become known. With the advent of the CRISPR/Cas system, cell line engineering to introduce precise modifications into genomes is taking the center stage in modern biomedical research. However, to turn this genomic information and the ability to modify genomes into curing diseases, several obstacles must be cleared. Cell line engineering is still hampered by inefficient delivery of genome editing entities, the danger of mutations in unrelated genomic regions and low efficiencies for precise editing by homologous recombination.

With CellEDIT, we combine CRISPR based genome engineering with our FluidFM® technology to overcome these hurdles. By injecting the genome editing entities intranuclearly of a target cell, we circumvent the delivery barrier. Further, the controlled delivery of CRISPR ribonucleic protein complexes to the nucleus of the target cell will minimize the probability of off target editing and enhance homologous recombination by co-injecting HDR templates. In addition, our single cell approach avoids the tedious selection process and reduces the material costs to a minimum.

In summary, using CellEDIT to perform single cell genome engineering will improve the quality and the speed, and reduces the costs of cell line development projects in academic and industrial biomedical research.