UC Santa Cruz Introduces Software Program to Improve Accuracy of CRISPR
July 9, 2025| |
Eric Malekos, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California (UC), Santa Cruz, has developed a new software program called CRISPRware designed to improve the accuracy and accessibility of CRISPR-based genome editing. This innovative tool scans an entire genome and allows researchers to design guide RNAs for any region of the genome, including less-characterized coding regions.
Susan Carpenter, a molecular, cell, and developmental biology professor at UC Santa Cruz, said the integration of CRISPRware into the UCSC Genome Browser enhances its usability by allowing researchers without advanced computational skills to access and apply genome editing tools. “Eric's tool helps democratize the use of CRISPR by greatly reducing the need for computational expertise,” Carpenter said. The UCSC Genome Browser is being used by tens of thousands of researchers to examine genomes from different species.
CRISPRware also enables high-throughput CRISPR-based screening, allowing researchers to systematically screen thousands of candidate peptides. Malekos said CRISPRware's usability helps spread CRISPR's benefits across the entire life-sciences community. It has been validated on the entire genomes of six model species, including human, rat, mouse, zebrafish, fruit fly, and roundworm, generating comprehensive catalogs of guide RNAs targeting coding regions.
For more information, read the study from BMC Genomics or the article from UC Santa Cruz.
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