Synthego Introduces the Next Generation of CRISPR Knockout Technology with the Gene Knockout Kit v2

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Synthego, a leading genome engineering solutions company, today announced the launch of the Gene Knockout Kit v2. This is the only product that leverages a novel bioinformatics- powered multi-guide strategy to guarantee a gene knockout. The kit will accelerate research by saving scientists from multiple trial-and-error cycles in optimizing their CRISPR experiment.

“Guide design is often difficult and results in many trial and error cycles without success, but Synthego’s Gene Knockout Kit v2 worked straight out of the gate! We have tried other kits but this resulted in a knockout on the first try,” said Molly OhAinle, Ph.D., Staff Scientist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, an early user of the product.

The Gene Knockout Kit v2 Makes Reliable CRISPR Knockouts a Reality
CRISPR editing is the new gold standard for genetic manipulation, enabling the study of genes and their role in cellular function and disease progression. In a typical knockout experiment, researchers use an individual guide RNA to generate nucleotide insertions or deletions in the gene of interest. However, these individual guide edits are highly variable and unpredictable and do not always translate to functional knockouts (the desired loss of protein function). Consequently, researchers must often test out multiple guide RNAs—often without success—to achieve a functional knockout. These rounds of guide RNA optimization can delay projects from months to years, leaving researchers unable to move forward.

To overcome this challenge, Synthego’s bioinformatics team developed the Gene Knockout Kit v2, based on a novel multi-guide strategy that employs up to three modified sgRNAs targeting the same gene. These sgRNAs are spatially coordinated to reliably induce a significant deletion of the protein coding region of a gene that results in altered protein conformation and the resulting loss of its function.

With the Gene Knockout Kit v2, the editing efficiency typically occurs at greater than 80% in cells undergoing transfection. This high editing efficiency means that transfected cell pools can demonstrate functional knockout phenotypes without the need to enrich for clonal populations. This enables faster and more cost-effective screening applications. For cases where clones are required, fewer cells need to be screened for clonal genotypes, which increases experimental efficiency.

“What we have designed is meant to be as easy as possible. Something that does not require a nuanced understanding of every gene you’re trying to interface with. It is great for people who are not necessarily experts in the molecular structure of the proteins that they are going after,” said David Conant, Ph.D., Head of Bioinformatics at Synthego.

Product Benefits
The Gene Knockout Kit v2 is Synthego’s newest addition to the CRISPRevolution product portfolio, giving researchers access to the only bioinformatics-powered CRISPR knockout kit available. Once a researcher chooses their gene of interest, Synthego will deliver high-quality synthetic multi-guide sgRNA in 10 days. Each kit includes one tube of chemically modified multi-guide sgRNA, designed to target any human protein-coding gene. If a researcher does not achieve knockout at the protein level, Synthego offers a money-back guarantee.

The Gene Knockout Kit v2 Kit includes:

• Smart Informatics – Multi-guide design delivers complete gene knockout.
• Quick Access – Kit ships in 10 days.
• Guaranteed Success – Achieve protein-level knockout or your money back.
• Complete Your Experiment – Cas9 2NLS and Transfection Optimization Kit are optional add-ons.
• Streamlined Analysis – Purchase includes free access to ICE CRISPR Analysis Tool

For further product details, visit the Gene Knockout Kit v2 product page. To learn more about the smart bioinformatics behind the multi-guide strategy, register for our webinar on June 19, 2019 from 10AM-11AM.