DANGER : Software Tool For Genome Editing
A team of researchers recently developed a software tool called DANGER (Deleterious and ANticipatable Guides Evaluated by RNA-sequencing) analysis that provides a way for the safer design of genome editing in all organisms.
- DANGER analysis is a new software tool that makes genome editing safer by overcoming limitations in current CRISPR technology.
- Unlike traditional methods that rely on a reference genome, DANGER works by conducting risk-averse on- and off-target assessments using RNA-sequencing data.
- It evaluates phenotypic effects based on gene expression changes caused by deleterious off-target sites.
- The software quantifies the phenotypic risk at the gene ontology level without the need for a reference genome.
- The tool successfully evaluated the phenotypic effects of gene editing in human cells and zebrafish brains.
- It can be performed on various organisms, personal human genomes, and atypical genomes created by diseases and viruses.
- The open-source nature of the software allows for its adaptation to different genome editing systems beyond CRISPR-Cas9.
Genome editing:
- It is a method that lets scientists change the DNA of many organisms, including plants, bacteria, and animals.
Editing DNA can lead to changes in physical traits, like eye colour, and disease risk.
