Variant-aware Cas-OFFinder: web-based in silico variant-aware potential off-target site identification for genome...

Genome editing based on CRISPR systems has been widely used in the vast areas of biomedical and agricultural applications. However, identifying the potential off-target sites remains challenging, particularly in individuals with diverse genetic variations. Several in silico tools have been developed to predict potential off-target sites, but they have limitations on their performance and scalability. In this paper, we present "Variant-aware Cas-OFFinder," a novel pipeline based on Cas-OFFinder for identifying potential off-target sites by accounting for individual genetic variants. We benchmarked the pipeline's improved scalability and performance with the human genome and pepper cultivars, having unique potential off-target sites on each allele at the haplotype level. The web tool is open to all users without a login requirement and is freely available online at https://rgetoolkit.com/var-cas-offinder.