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High-efficiency CRISPR-Cas nuclease

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Tags

CRISPRHigh fidelityDrug discoveryNucleaseHigh-throughput screeningGene therapyEx vivo

Inventors

Anders Steen KnudsenStephen H. Tsang M.D., Ph.D.

Departments

Biomedical EngineeringOphthalmology

Divisions

College of Physicians and Surgeons (CUMCFu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS)

Manager

Kristin Neuman

File Number

CU25094

Release Date

Dec 18, 2025

This technology is an optimized CRISPR-Cas12j nuclease for high-efficiency gene editing.

Unmet Need: Compact CRISPR-Cas nuclease for therapeutic applications

Current CRISPR-Cas nucleases face delivery challenges for therapeutic gene editing due to the trade-off between size and efficiency. Large, highly efficient nucleases cannot be packaged into single AAV vectors, which are required for targeted tissue delivery, while smaller AAV-compatible nucleases are generally less efficient. Thus, there is a clear need for CRISPR nucleases that are both compact and efficient for therapeutics.

The Technology: Optimized CRISPR-Cas nuclease for size and efficiency

This technology presents an optimized version of the CRISPR-Cas12j nuclease that enables more efficient gene editing. This Cas12j variant was engineered via a single amino acid mutation and has twice the efficiency compared to the wild-type nuclease. It maintains a size compatible with single AAV packaging, can be programmed to any target sequence with a nearby TTN, and has high fidelity.

Applications:

  • Gene therapy for diseases requiring AAV delivery
  • Ex vivo gene editing
  • High throughput screening
  • Drug discovery
  • Research tool for modeling retinal disease

Advantages:

  • 2x higher efficiency compared to wild-type Cas12j
  • Compact size for single AAV packaging
  • High fidelity with reduced off-targets

Lead Inventor:

Stephen Tsang, M.D., Ph.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Pending

Related Publications:

  • Chang YJ, Ryu J, Cui X, Tsang SH. “CRISPR-Mediated Genome Engineering in Cell Lines.” Methods Mol Biol. 2023;2560:267-278

Tech Ventures Reference:

  • IR CU25094

  • Licensing Contact: Kristin Neuman

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