"Genome Engineering Tool: Beyond CRISPR"

Belgian researchers have developed a new toolbox of 16 short DNA sequences that enable controlled and specific recombination events in any genome, complementing and surpassing CRISPR for certain applications. This toolbox, reported in two concurrent papers in Nature Communications, utilizes site-specific recombinases to address the shortcomings of CRISPR, offering a solution to issues such as toxicity of DNA double strand breaks, low editing efficiencies, and complex patenting. The toolbox has been demonstrated to efficiently optimize gene expression in microbial cell factories and offers possibilities for scientists and industry working in genome engineering.