Cellecta, Inc. today announced the launch of the first commercially available dual-sgRNA libraries designed for CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) and CRISPR interference/repression (CRISPRi) genetic screens. These new pooled libraries enhance activation or repression of genes to produce more robust results from genetic screens.
With the modified CRISPRa and CRISPRi systems, the standard CRISPR gene knockout capacity has been re-engineered to modulate gene activity. These variations of the standard CRISPR system extend the types of genetic screening possible. For example, CRISPRa can be used to screen for genes that change phenotypes when activated, rather than disrupted. These “gain-of-function” screens are not possible with the standard CRISPR knockout system.
Natural gene expression regulation factors often bind at multiple sites on a promoter to produce a synergistic activation or repression effect. Similarly, Cellecta’s novel dual-sgRNA CRISPRa and CRISPRi libraries enhance the activity of the standard single-sgRNA libraries because each construct expresses two different sgRNA ...
