Why is NGS crucial for gene editing?

In recent years, gene editing has witnessed remarkable advancements, marked by the development of various gene editing systems like CRISPR-Cas9, DdCBE, ZFN, and TALEN. Despite these breakthroughs, no gene editing system is flawless, and off-target effects, defined as unintended mutations at non-targeted genomic sites, pose significant concerns, especially in the context of potential clinical applications.

The risks associated with off-target effects necessitate a careful evaluation of gene editing strategies, even though gene editing's potential to revolutionise medicine is substantial. Minimising off-target effects is crucial and requires a thorough analysis to distinguish off-target effects from technical biases (read errors).

In addition to clinical applications, off-target effects can disrupt research experiments, leading to unreliable data with the potential for false negatives or false positives due to unintended protein alterations. Consequently, it is crucial to analyse each gene editing experiment carefully for off-target effects.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) emerges as an ideal tool for studying off-target effects, offering the capability to investigate regions similar to the intended target or even across the entire genome. At NextGenSeek, we have extensive experience in gene editing technologies, particularly ZFN, TALEN, and DdCBE (refer to our publication list). Please get in touch with us if you have any other questions about our methodologies or if you need to discuss your requirements. Your confidence in the precision and reliability of gene editing experiments is our priority.