Small molecules promote CRISPR-Cpf1-mediated genome editing in human pluripotent stem cells

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have potential applications in biological studies and regenerative medicine. However, precise genome editing in hPSCs remains time-consuming and labor-intensive. Here we demonstrate that the recently identified CRISPR-Cpf1 can be used to efficiently generate knockout and knockin hPSC lines. The unique properties of CRISPR-Cpf1, including shorter crRNA length and low off-target activity, are very attractive for many applications. In particular, we develop an unbiased drug-selection-based platform feasible for high-throughput screening in hPSCs and this screening system enables us to identify small molecules VE-822 and AZD-7762 that can promote CRISPR-Cpf1-mediated precise genome editing. Significantly, the combination of CRISPR-Cpf1 and small molecules provides a simple and efficient strategy for precise genome engineering.