Clontech Laboratories launches Guide-it CRISPR/Cas9 Gesicle Production System

Jan 11 2016

Clontech Laboratories, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takara Bio Inc., today announced the launch of the Guide-it™ CRISPR/Cas9 Gesicle Production System. This system provides an innovative method to deliver Cas9/single guide RNA (sgRNA) ribonucleoprotein complexes to a broad range of cell types.

"While CRISPR/Cas9 is a great enabling technique for genome manipulation, two significant challenges remain: obtaining efficient delivery of Cas9 and gene-specific single guide RNA (sgRNA) to all cell types, and achieving fewer off-target effects," commented Carol Lou, President of Clontech Laboratories, Inc. "We have developed CRISPR/Cas9 gesicles in order to overcome these obstacles."

Gesicles are cell-derived nanovesicles that have been used to deliver macromolecular cargoes to a broad range of target cells, including cells that are difficult to transfect with plasmids. The nanovesicles are formed in a Gesicle Producer 293T Cell Line via co-overexpression of components including a nanovesicle-inducing glycoprotein and a protein that mediates binding and fusion with the cellular membrane of target cells. Simultaneous overexpression of additional macromolecular cargoes (in this case, the Cas9 protein and sgRNA) results in incorporation of the Cas9/sgRNA ribonucleoprotein complexes within the gesicles. Subsequent delivery of the Cas9/sgRNA complexes to target cells using gesicles is efficient and also eliminates the persistent and elevated expression that are associated with plasmid and viral delivery, leading to reduced off-target effects compared to other methods of Cas9 and sgRNA delivery.

SOURCE Clontech Laboratories, Inc.