US firm offers CRISPR viral knock-out library for R&D
The Californian company has released the CRISPR guided RNA (sgRNA) knock-out library as a high throughput screening tool targeting all human protein coding genes.
The technology allows scientists to see how human cells respond to the disruption of a specific gene across the whole genome, in a single experiment.
Cellecta’s CRISPR library is based on the lentivrus family and offers portions for immediate viral packaging and as pre-packaged lentiviral particles that can be used in knock-out screening immediately.
The company said its offering is divided into three modules, each targeting a third of the human genome with eight sgRNAs per gene.
Pharma researchers can use each of the three modules separately or in combination for a single genome-wide experiment.
"Our intention is to provide a high quality tool to help accelerate the understanding of which genes play key roles in biological responses and disease pathology," said Alex Chenchik, Chief Scientific Officer of Cellecta.
CRISPR deals
The gene-editing tech, which uses RNA-guided endonucleases to edit genomes, is becoming a popular tool in biopharma R&D.
Several companies have filed patents on aspects of the tech, including French company Cellectis, which surprised the pharma world in January when it announced its patent may block use of CRISPR by several big pharma firms. ThermoFisher bought the tech from Cellectis – not to be confused with Cellecta – last month.
