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Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Pooled CRISPR-Based Genetic Screens in Mammalian Cells
Published on: September 4, 2019
Genetic screens and functional genomics using CRISPR/Cas9 technology
Ella Hartenian1, John G Doench
1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Abstract:
Functional genomics attempts to understand the genome by perturbing the flow of information from DNA to RNA to protein, in order to learn how gene dysfunction leads to disease. CRISPR/Cas9 technology is the newest tool in the geneticist's toolbox, allowing researchers to edit DNA with unprecedented ease, speed and accuracy, and representing a novel means to perform genome-wide genetic screens to discover gene function. In this review, we first summarize the discovery and characterization of CRISPR/Cas9, and then compare it to other genome engineering technologies. We discuss its initial use in screening applications, with a focus on optimizing on-target activity and minimizing off-target effects. Finally, we comment on future challenges and opportunities afforded by this technology.
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