Technology Showcase: Synthego

A CRISPR-based platform to accelerate discovery and support gene and cell therapies

David Anderson, BA, MBA

Synthego develops automated platforms for engineering cell lines at scale, using the CRISPR-Cas technology. We show that advances in the effectiveness of generating gene knockouts has led to the generation of an arrayed whole genome library which can be utilized directly in primary cells for target discovery screening. Advances in the effectiveness of generating targeted SNV or gene tag knock-ins has led to the development of a platform for engineering iPSCs at scale, which can be used to produce more relevant models of human disease. Greater knock-in efficiency enables the possibility of engineering cells in high throughput for the generation and study of 100s of disease variants within a gene. Furthermore, novel engineering of CRISPR guide RNAs can be utilized to reduce potential gene editing off-targets. And for the first time, Synthego is now manufacturing GMP-grade sgRNA for use in clinical trials. Taken together, these platforms will help to accelerate discoveries and support the development of gene and cell therapies.

 

Bio: David Anderson is the Regional Manager for Synthego’s Technical Account Management Team in the Western US. Based in San Diego, CA, David has worked for Synthego for 3 years, supporting researchers in Academia, Biotech and Pharma to implement CRISPR-based technologies.