Gene editing

The founder of Mammoth Biosciences (South San Francisco, CA) explains in this piece the advantages of using the Cas-14 protein (licensed from the University of California) in gene editing.  “Most CRISPR proteins are typically between 1000 to 1400 amino acids long, which is particularly large. Cas14 is less than half the size, approximately 400 amino acids, which is amazing considering that the protein is a complex molecular machine that is responsible for the precise DNA cutting that its larger relatives are capable of. Its small size is also useful for delivering the protein to an organism, whether it be a human or an animal. Viral packaging systems, one of the most effective CRISPR delivery system available, have a limited capacity to what they can hold, which poses as an issue with larger proteins. With a smaller protein such as Cas14, you are increasing the payload of what you can deliver. Rather than simply delivering the protein, you can incorporate other items, adding new functionality to the CRISPR system.”    MORE

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