The methodology, described in Nature Communications, involves a new class of guide molecules, called CRISPRoff. These synthetic single guide RNA (sgRNA) fragment in response to light, enabling precise temporal and spatial control of double-strand breaks created during gene editing. The work was done in collaboration with the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology Genome Editing Consortium to develop standards for precise and reproducible gene editing in therapeutic applications.

The in vitro research demonstrated that CRISPRoff is effective across multiple genomic targets in multiple cell lines and has the potential to reduce off-target events, without impacting genome editing efficiency.

CRISPRoff does not require additional engineering steps or modifications to nucleases, therefore it can fit within existing CRISPR gene editing workflows. It can also be tuned to different wavelengths of light, allowing for multiplexed genome editing. It is produced in a good manufacturing practice (GMP)-grade format.