Aug. 23 Preclinical Quick Takes: Mission Bio launches new feature in single-cell analysis platform; plus CRISPR-triggered hydrogel cargo release and more

Mission Bio expands single-cell analysis platform
Mission Bio Inc. (South San Francisco, Calif.) launched Copy Number Analysis, a new feature integrated into its Tapestri Platform, to enable simultaneous measurement of copy number variants along with single nucleotide variants within single cancer cells. Mission Bio markets Tapestri, its single-cell DNA analysis platform, to drug developers and academic medical centers to detect genetic heterogeneity in cancers and develop precision cancer therapies, and to detect on-target and off-target effects of gene editing.

CRISPR responsive hydrogel from MIT, Wyss Institute
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University team led by Sherlock Biosciences Inc. (Cambridge, Mass.) co-founder James Collins engineered hydrogels that use CRISPR-based DNA cleavage as a switch to release compounds. Described in a Science paper, the hydrogels contain single-stranded DNA linked to or encapsulating cargo including small molecules, nanoparticles or cells. The hydrogel is exposed to Cas12a (CRISPR from Prevotella and Francisella 1; Cpf1) that has been activated by guide RNA and corresponding target double-stranded DNA, which induces single-stranded DNA cleavage and cargo release...