Columbia Technology Ventures

CRISPR-Cas transcriptional activation in bacteria

This technology is a platform for identifying programmable and portable CRISPR-Cas transcriptional activators that function in bacteria.

Unmet Need: Methods to modulate transcription in microbes

Programmable gene transcription enables precise regulation of specific gene networks for modulation of cell behavior. To date, CRISPR-mediated gene activation has been successfully and widely used in eukaryotic systems. However, this system has proven difficult to implement in microbes for industrial and medical applications.

The Technology: Versatile, portable, and programmable CRISPR activators

This technology describes a generalizable platform for screening and selecting CRISPR-Cas transcriptional activators specific to bacteria. An identified CRISPR activator demonstrates the capacity to concurrently mediate activation and repression of transcription in E. coli, with multiplexing capabilities and portability to other bacterial species of commercial relevance. As such, this technology potentiates genetic manipulation of bacteria for a wide range of applications, including diagnostics, biofuels, and therapeutics.

Applications:

  • Industrial strain engineering
  • Gut microbiome engineering
  • Gene function discovery
  • Synchronized genetic pathway modulation

Advantages:

  • Evolved by directed evolution
  • Strong levels of gene induction
  • Can be multiplexed
  • Portable to bacterial strains of commercial utility

Lead Inventor:

Harris Wang, Ph.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Pending

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