Non-chromatographic purification of guide RNA for gene-editing experiments

CRISPR-Cas12a gene editing technology is gaining momentum as a powerful tool for many biochemical and medicinal applications. The technology requires guide RNA, which is typically made using solid phase synthesis and purified by HPLC. The latter is often the most complex and time-consuming element of the synthetic process. This communication describes a non-chromatographic method for purification of synthetic RNAs. The method consists of five steps and yields target RNA in over 80% purity, which adheres to the FDA's standard for gene editing applications. The non-chromatographic RNA purification approach was applied to synthesize guide RNA targeting the GFP gene. Its purity was analyzed by analytical HPLC. Its functional fidelity was tested in CRISPR-Cas12a experiments in solution and live mammalian cells.