Value Proposition
· Mechanical tuning of stiffness and viscoelasticity results in higher editing efficiency and requires less transfection reagents compared to traditional plasmid-based CRISPR-Cas9 methods.
· Enhanced cell-substrate interactions between the cells and gels leads to greater uptake of nanoparticles, quicker onset of gene editing, and overall improved gene editing efficiency.
· Easily scalable, enabling potential use in cell therapy applications.
· Tool to optimize drug delivery systems or further study the impact of tissue viscoelasticity on drug delivery.
Unmet Need
· CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing has become one of the most impactful technologies in scientific research, introducing new hope for numerous genetic conditions once thought to be incurable.
· Efficiency in gene editing and delivery of Cas9 cargo is necessary to transition to translational applications.
· There are many barriers to efficient gene editing in CRISPR-Cas9.
· Currently, many researchers focus on modifying Cas9 or developing new delivery systems, and optimization research is ongoing.
· However, few researchers have explored manipulation of mechanical cues as a mechanism for improving efficiency.
· Therefore, there is a strong need to improve gene editing platforms for translational applications.
Technology Description
· Efficient, scalable methods are needed to translate CRISPR-Cas9 technology for drug delivery applications.
· Researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed a method to improve CRISPR-Cas9 delivery and Cas9 editing efficiency by tuning the mechanical properties of the cell culture microenvironment.
· The method utilizes substrates of varying stiffnesses to regulate cellular mechanotransduction.
Stage of Development
· Proof of concept studies have been completed. Further validation and mechanistic studies are ongoing.
· Looking for partners to implement as part of a cell therapy system or use as a research tool for optimizing drug delivery systems and studying cell-substrate interactions.
