Build Your Genome Engineering Toolbox For Success

By Claes Gustafsson, Ph.D., Chief Commercial Officer

Genome engineering has been around for thousands of years without any high-tech assistance. Now, due in large part to the rapid response of the COVID-19 pandemic, transient human genome engineering in the form of an mRNA vaccine has been widely accepted and globally distributed. The incredible efficacy, safety profile, and development speed of the mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 illustrates how genome engineering is becoming broadly applicable as scientists gain access to greater flexibility, speed, diversity, and precision in their engineering strategies. As the field expands, an increasing number of applications are becoming possible, particularly in the treatment of chronic diseases with gene therapy.

The predominant mechanisms for genome engineering can be separated into three categories: knock-in, knock-out, and editing. Knock-out tools are used to destroy or “knock-out” genes. Knock-in tools do the opposite, placing DNA into the genome to integrate its information, and editing tools do just that: edit genes, perhaps by removing and replacing a nucleotide base. As more applications emerge, the engineering toolkit expands. Download the complete article to learn more about which genome engineering tools might make a worthwhile addition to your repertoire.