Survey: Over 80 Percent of New CRISPR Users are Conducting Gene Editing for the First Time

REDWOOD CITY, CA--(Marketwired - Feb 20, 2017) - Synthego, a leading provider of genome engineering solutions, today announces the results of its 2017 Future of CRISPR Research, a survey of scientists and researchers about CRISPR trends and experimentation. The survey revealed that 87 percent of new CRISPR users are also new to gene editing -- showing the tremendous interest and effect of CRISPR's simplicity over other gene editing methods. Furthermore, of the 87 percent, 55 percent have near-term plans to conduct experiments within six months.

The survey also showed that 35 percent of new researchers plan to conduct experiments directly related to therapeutics applications, with stem cell research representing 18 percent, drug discovery 11 percent, and Car-T therapies at 6 percent. This indicates the industry can anticipate strides in these areas in the near future. Of the various nucleases currently used by scientists for CRISPR gene editing, S. pyogenes Cas9 is by far the most popular at 81 percent with Cpf1 coming in at 14 percent.

While CRISPR gene editing is growing in popularity amongst scientists, there are still challenges associated with the process. When existing users were asked about the top three CRISPR challenges, respondents cited editing efficiency (64 percent), verification of edits (57 percent), and delivery/transfection (57 percent), as the main difficulties.

The survey showed that synthetic RNA is used by scientists to improve consistency and efficiency in CRISPR genome engineering, but there are misconceptions about its cost benefit. Of the users who do not use synthetic RNA, 42 percent felt it is too costly. However, Synthego's revolutionary approach to synthetic RNA has reduced previously high costs of synthetic RNA by up to 5X while providing very high purity and enabling breakthrough editing efficiencies of up to 90%. In addition, the days of lab time previously required for plasmid cloning and IVT construction is now reduced to mere minutes using synthetic RNA.

"There is no doubt that CRISPR has become a ubiquitous technology for conducting biological research throughout the world," said Michael Dabrowski, President of Synthego. "But in order for scientists to increase the rate of research and discovery, highly efficient and cost effective tools must be made available."

Through proprietary precision automation and engineering methods, Synthego is focused on delivering synthetic CRISPR RNA products with the highest editing efficiency, fastest turnaround time, and lowest costs for scientists. The company's flagship product line, CRISPRevolution, is the world's leading synthetic CRISPR RNA portfolio and includes EZ RNA Kits, sgRNA, custom and modified RNA, and pre-designed libraries.

Methodology
Synthego surveyed 654 people within the scientific community about the future of CRISPR research, applications and challenges. Respondents ranged from researchers and scientists, to executives and managers in the industry, with 65 percent directly identifying as a researcher or scientist.

For more information on Synthego visit: www.synthego.com.

About Synthego
Founded by former SpaceX engineers, Synthego is a leading provider of genome engineering solutions. The company's flagship product, CRISPRevolution, is a portfolio of synthetic RNA designed for CRISPR genome editing and research. Synthego's vision is to bring precision and automation to genome engineering, enabling rapid and cost-effective research with consistent results for every scientist.

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, Synthego customers include leading institutions in 31 countries around the world, and 9 of the top 10 global biology universities.