IDT Alt-R Cas12a (Cpf1) Ultra CRISPR enzyme

Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) has released its latest CRISPR enzyme, Alt-R Cas12a (Cpf1) Ultra. It is a powerful addition to IDT’s Alt-R CRISPR enzyme arsenal, with improved performance compared to previous products, making it easier to achieve precision genome editing at new sites across genomes.

Publication of the Cas12a system in 2015 generated interest among researchers seeking enzymes for genome editing experiments, particularly due to its PAM site (‘TTTV’) that expanded the number of potential editing sites in the genome beyond that of Cas9 (‘NGG’). IDT developed a novel mutant of the Acidaminococcus sp. BV3L6 Cas12a (Cpf1), called Cas12a Ultra. The mutant enzyme has enhanced editing activity, reaching or exceeding the performance of Cas9. It also retains activity across a wider temperature range than the wild type enzyme, making it useful for genome editing in additional organisms, including plants.

Alt-R Cas12a (Cpf1) Ultra is an addition to the genome editing toolbox that offers the same efficiency and versatility as Cas9. The tool will find equal utility for both knock-out and knock-in applications, in fields ranging from basic research cell engineering to medical gene therapy to agricultural biotechnology. By incorporating the enzyme into their research plan, scientists will also benefit from the good quality of IDT’s recombinant genome editing protein manufacturing, high-throughput guide RNA synthesis capacity and technical support.