The EDITorial
Browse our blog, The EDITorial, for articles to learn more about how genome engineering is being used in research and in our world.
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Knockout | XDel
Single Guide vs Two Guide vs XDel: Which CRISPR Knockout Strategy Is Right for Your Experiment?
Compare single-guide, two-guide, and coordinated multi-guide CRISPR knockout strategies to understand how guide design affects protein depletion, genotyping, and experimental success.Read More
Drug Discovery | Disease Models | AACR | Cancer Research
What You Missed at AACR 2026: Five Takeaways From San Diego That Could Change Your Cell Lineup
A field report from the EditCo teamRead More
iPS Cells
Ensuring iPSC Quality: Best Practices in Pluripotency Testing for Disease Models
As iPSC disease models become increasingly sophisticated through CRISPR genome editing, organoid development, and single-cell analysis, comprehensive iPSC quality control now extends beyond pluripotency markers alone. Researchers increasingly evaluate pluripotency, genomic stability, and lineage-specific differentiation potential as part of a broader validation strategy. Introduction The power of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) lies in their ability to self-renew indefinitely and differentiate into any cell type of the human body. These properties make iPSCs indispensable for disease modelling, drug discovery, regenerative medicine, and cell-therapy development. However, the “pluripotent” label comes with a critical caveat: without rigorous testing of pluripotency (identity, potency, functionality), downstream experiments and therapies risk yielding unreliable or unsafe results. In this article, we explore the spectrum of methods for assessing pluripotency in iPSCs, compare their advantages and limitations, and highlight how implementing robust testing workflows can safeguard the quality of your iPSC-derived models and therapeutic products. Download iPS Cells tech note : Precision CRISPR Editing of Induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) CellsRead More
crispr | Knockout | XDel
Not All CRISPR Kits Are Created Equal: How to Choose the Right Knockout Kit
How Does CRISPR Work to Knock Out Genes CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a powerful gene editing tool originally derived from bacterial immune systems. It acts as a pair of molecular scissors, allowing scientists to precisely cut and rewrite DNA at specific locations. The system is composed of two main components: A Cas (CRISPR-associated) nuclease that cuts DNA A guide RNA (gRNA) that directs the nuclease to the target sequence Figure 1. The CRISPR-Cas9 System. The CRISPR-Cas9 system comprises a guide RNA (gRNA) and Cas9 nuclease, which together form a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex. The presence of a specific protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) in the genomic DNA is required for the gRNA to bind to the target sequence. The Cas9 nuclease then makes a double strand break in the DNA (denoted by the scissors). Endogenous repair mechanisms triggered by the double strand break may result in gene knockout via a frameshift mutation or knock-in of a desired sequence if a DNA template is present. By leveraging this simple yet powerful system, researchers can edit genomes with unprecedented ease, enabling breakthroughs in areas such as disease modeling, drug discovery, and personalized medicine. When Cas9 introduces a double-stranded break (DSB), cells typically repair the damage via non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), a process that often introduces insertions or deletions (indels). If these indels occur in the coding region and result in a frameshift, the gene is functionally knocked out. Gene knockout is foundational in modern biology. And while CRISPR has made knockout experiments more accessible, not all kits on the market deliver the same results. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling up a high-throughput workflow, choosing the right CRISPR kit can make or break your experiment. Figure 2. CRISPR knockout through non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) . The two most common repair mechanisms facilitating CRISPR-Cas editing are nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) and homology-directed repair (HDR). NHEJ results in either insertions or deletions of nucleotides to repair the DSB, creating a frameshift mutation and effectively knocking out the gene.Read More
Editing Process | automation | high-throughput screening | cloning workflow | process reproducibility | Scalability
Scaling Cell Culture with Argo Automation: How EditCo Delivers High-Throughput Precision
Delivering high-quality, precisely edited cells requires more than just cutting-edge CRISPR technology—it begins with a strong foundation in cell culture. Meet Argo: The Backbone of EditCo’s Automated Cell Culture Named after the legendary ship that carried Jason and the Argonauts, Argo represents our modern-day vessel for scientific exploration. Housed in a sterile enclosure, Argo is the backbone of our cell culture operations, built for high-throughput expansion, refeeding, and imaging of both immortalized and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells . Figure 1. Photo of the Argo workcell.Read More
Knock-in | HiBiT
From Protein Detection to Drug Discovery: Key Applications of HiBiT Tagging in CRISPR Knock-In Cell Models
HiBiT is an 11-amino-acid peptide tag that enables sensitive luminescent detection of endogenous proteins.Read More
Knock-in | HiBiT
HiBiT-Tagged Knock-In Cells: Choosing the Right Protein Tag for Your Experiment
When working with proteins—whether for purification, detection, or functional studies—selecting the right tag is crucial. With a wide range of options available, each offering unique advantages and limitations, the most appropriate choice depends on your specific application. Whether you are conducting pull-down assays, live-cell imaging, or high-throughput screening, understanding how different protein tags function will help optimize your workflow and ensure reproducibility.Read More
CRISPR Screening | Editing Process | XDel
CRISPR Confidence: The Power of Controls in Genome Editing
Key Takeaways CRISPR controls are essential for optimizing editing efficiency, validating phenotypes, and improving experimental reproducibility. Positive, negative, AAVS1, and lethal controls each serve distinct purposes throughout CRISPR workflows. CRISPR controls are widely used in functional genomics, pooled and arrayed screening, stem cell engineering, and drug discovery. EditCo provides validated CRISPR control reagents compatible with immortalized, primary, and iPSC models. Common CRISPR Control Types and Their Applications CRISPR genome editing is transforming biological research, and experimental controls are the backbone of reliable, reproducible results. In this article, we explore the essential role of CRISPR controls and supporting reagents in optimizing editing efficiency, troubleshooting workflows, and ensuring consistency across experiments. Whether you’re editing immortalized cells , iPSCs , or primary cells , CRISPR positive and negative controls are key to unlocking the full potential of your gene editing experiments. Why CRISPR Controls Matter CRISPR controls are not just “nice to have” — they are fundamental to every step of a genome editing experiment: Optimization: Use controls to fine-tune transfection parameters and editing protocols across different cell types and workflows. Controls help establish optimal conditions before investing in gene-specific reagents. Assay Development : Optimize transfection conditions and editing performance before targeting your gene of interest. Screening and Validation : Confirm editing efficiency and distinguish true biological effects from technical artifacts. Troubleshooting : Identify potential problems with delivery, reagent performance, or cell health. Without appropriate controls, even the most promising CRISPR screen can yield ambiguous or misleading results.Read More
Knock-in | HiBiT
HiBiT-Tagged Knock-In Cells: The End of the Era of Protein Overexpression
The growing demand to unravel complex cellular processes has fueled rapid expansion in the field of proteomics. As researchers strive to understand proteins in their native context, traditional tools such as antibody-based fluorescence and mass spectrometry present significant challenges. These methods often lack the sensitivity, scalability, or specificity needed to accurately capture the dynamics of endogenous protein behavior. As a result, there is an increasing need for innovative solutions that can overcome these limitations and provide more precise, physiologically relevant insights into protein function and regulation. Lost in Lysis: The Limits of Conventional Protein Tools Studying protein function within living cells presents significant challenges due to limitations in current detection technologies. While mass spectrometry and antibody-based protein detection are valuable tools, both approaches have drawbacks that restrict their effectiveness in analyzing endogenous proteins in real time. These limitations have created a need for a robust and scalable method that allows researchers to monitor protein expression and interactions in their native cellular environment without the need for destructive sample preparation.Read More
Disease Models | Primary Cells | fibroblast
CRISPR-Edited Fibroblasts: Applications in Disease Modeling, Cancer Research, and Drug Discovery
Key Takeaways Fibroblasts are central to fibrosis, wound healing, and the tumor microenvironment. CRISPR enables precise functional studies in primary fibroblasts. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are becoming major therapeutic targets. High-throughput CRISPR screening is accelerating fibroblast research. Scalable engineered fibroblast models improve reproducibility in drug discovery. Fibroblasts are essential connective tissue cells that play a key role in extracellular matrix production, wound healing, and cellular signaling. In more recent years, fibroblasts have been implicated in oncologic malignancies, specifically the tumor microenvironment or TME (the ecosystem surrounding a tumor composed of various cells, ECM, and soluble factors). However, this cell type remains significantly understudied and is the focus of many researchers across academia, biotechs, and pharmaceutical companies.Read More
Drug Discovery | Science Policy
The Shaking of the Scientific Bedrock
This Monday, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) came out with a formal statement regarding the recent actions of the new administration toward the NIH. As uncertainty grows, an increasing number of prominent scientific institutions are openly discussing the imperative to defend the deep foundation of biomedical research that is funded, at its core, largely through the NIH. “At a time when the scientific community is making unprecedented strides in cancer research – advancing precision medicine, immunotherapy, and early detection technologies – continued investments in biomedical discovery and research are more effective and promising than ever before. The weakening of the NIH threatens to halt this momentum, delaying the development of new therapies and limiting access to some clinical trials.” It’s still unclear whether the temporary block on a dramatic decrease in federal grant funding, which is currently focused on research overhead (labeled “indirect costs"), will take effect. As of this posting, the hearing is set for tomorrow, February 21 st . However, the concern is widespread across the scientific community, regardless of institution type or funding mechanism. The opportunity costs of important, federally funded research are well understood.Read More
Target Identification | Drug Discovery | XDel
CRISPR and AI in Drug Discovery: Finding the Needle in the Genomic Haystack
Over the past decade, CRISPR gene-editing technology and artificial intelligence (AI) have emerged as transformative forces in biomedical research. Independently, each has driven significant progress in understanding and treating diseases. However, when integrated, these technologies create a synergistic paradigm that is accelerating drug discovery and the development of targeted therapies. The precision of CRISPR, coupled with AI’s capacity to analyze vast biological datasets, is streamlining the identification of novel drug targets, optimizing genetic modifications, and facilitating the design of personalized treatments with unprecedented accuracy and efficiency.Read More
Disease Models | iPS Cells | Immortalized Cell Lines
Not Your Average Knockout: Introducing Cell Editing with XDel CRISPR Technology
With years of experience and hundreds of thousands of successful edits, this journey has given us invaluable insights into one of the biggest challenges scientists face in the CRISPR knockout space: the extensive optimization and rework often required to confidently achieve a gene knockout. Recognizing this challenge, we asked ourselves: How can we use our expertise to design a more efficient and reliable method to knock out genes? By focusing on this mission, EditCo has developed innovative solutions that streamline the knockout process, empowering researchers to achieve their goals with greater confidence.Read More
Editing Process | Immunology | Primary Cells
Killer CRISPR Cells: Unlocking the Functionality in Edited CD8+ T Cells
Key Takeaways • CRISPR editing can impair CD8+ T-cell function if editing and recovery conditions are not optimized. • EditCo’s workflow preserves cytotoxic activity after editing. • Edited T cells demonstrated up to 99% killing of CD19+ target cells in a BiTE assay. • Functional validation is just as important as editing efficiency. CRISPR-Cas9 is revolutionizing cell engineering, opening up new research possibilities such as easier disease modeling, clearer functional gene pathway analysis, novel drug target screening, or creating tailored immune cell therapies. However, not all cell lines are easily edited and often cell lines, such as primary immune cells, risk having their downstream functionality affected by the genetic changes or the editing process itself. One major hurdle researchers face when working with CD8+ T cells (also known as Cytotoxic T Cells or CTL) is maintaining their cytotoxicity after editing. The EditCo Bio R&D team recognized this challenge when developing our T cell editing process and was determined to succeed where others often falter.Read More
Disease Models | iPS Cells | Editing Process
Advancements in Karyotyping & the Impact on Cell-based Research
Disease modeling using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) has been crucial in drug discovery, and clinical applications. However, a challenge with working with hPSCs is that over time, as they're cultured in vitro, they can develop recurrent genomic abnormalities and copy number variations (CNVs) that may compromise research outcomes and therapeutic potentials. Some CNVs, such as the common 20q11.21 amplification, can confer selective advantages to cells but reduce their differentiation capacities. Therefore, monitoring and verifying the genomic integrity of hPSC cultures is an essential quality control measure in cell-based research.Read More
Editing Process | automation | NGS
Automating NGS library preparation to meet the scale of CRISPR research
The Happy Marriage of CRISPR and NGS The ability of modern genome engineering to precisely modify the genetic targets in living cells has instigated a movement of scientists to innovate solutions never before possible. Of course, discovering genetic mechanisms through CRISPR requires confidence that genes have indeed been cut and either disabled (“knocked out”) or, in other instances, new genetic content is added (“knocked in”) to precise locations. CRISPR quality control requires DNA sequencing and, to do it most effectively, it requires Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). As far as getting the highest efficiency and accuracy genotyping post-CRISPR editing, NGS is the clear winner . However, the library preparation process can be labor-intensive and relatively slow, especially as you scale up. At EditCo, we believe that scientists should not spend their time on laboratory busy work, but rather focus their efforts on progressing their research forward. To that end, we’ve implemented a suite of highly robust, integrated automation to handle the NGS workflow to enable consistent, reliable, and rapid CRISPR editing.Read More
Drug Discovery | Disease Models | Science Policy
Female-Derived Cell Models: Why Sex as a Biological Variable Matters in Research
For many years, female donor-derived cells were significantly underrepresented in preclinical research, limiting both our understanding of human biology and the development of effective treatments. As research policies increasingly emphasize the inclusion of female cell lines, researchers are gaining a clearer picture of why representation matters. Today, sex as a biological variable (SABV) is increasingly recognized as an important factor that can influence gene expression, cell signaling, disease mechanisms, and responses to treatment. Incorporating female-derived cell models can help researchers determine whether a phenotype is consistent across sexes—or reveal biological differences that might otherwise be overlooked.Read More
Immortalized Cell Lines | Editing Process | Knockout Cell Pools
Premium Engineered Cells, Now NGS-verified
High-efficiency, high-quality genotyping results of CRISPR-edited cellsRead More
Immortalized Cell Lines | Editing Process | Knockout Cell Pools
CRISPR Knockout Cell Pools are the Fastest Path to Becoming a Genome Engineer
CRISPR has changed the way scientists are able to approach their research. The popularity of CRISPR stems from its simplicity and ease of use. Researchers can theoretically create any gene edit in any cell in just a few days. However, in practice, it isn’t that simple. Obtaining high quality and reproducible editing results you can trust takes experience and optimization.Read More
Alzheimer’s | Neuroscience | Disease Models
Combating Alzheimer’s Disease with CRISPR: A Step Forward Towards New Therapeutics
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, with around 55 million people suffering from it or related dementia worldwide. It is the most common type of dementia, primarily affecting older individuals over the age of 65 years. Alzheimer’s is characterized by memory loss, cognitive decline, behavioral changes and can seriously impact an individual’s ability to perform daily activities at its peak. With no current cure, treatments usually focus on symptom management. Recent advancements such as anti-amyloid drugs like aducanumab, target amyloid plaques in the brain, offering hope for slowing disease progression. Ongoing research is exploring promising approaches, including CRISPR gene editing, tau-targeted therapies, and combination treatments, with the goal of developing more effective treatments for this complex disease. Check out our Case Study : Industrialized CRISPR iPS Cells Enable NIH Large Scale Alzheimer’s Disease Research EffortRead More
Target Identification | CRISPR Screening | Drug Discovery