Custom CRISPR cell engineering services

​​Your edit, our expertise – engineered and ready for you

​​CRISPR technology has had a huge impact on biological research, revolutionizing drug discovery, reagent validation, and disease research. However, CRISPR gene-editing is complex, time-consuming, and success is not always guaranteed. 

Therefore, it is critical to consider all the factors before creating your custom gene-edited line as achieving your desired edit could consume months of your bench time. Intensive protocols require precision and the average CRISPR experiment fails six times before resulting in the right edit. 

Our CRISPR engineers bring a wealth of experience to tackling the toughest edits and rapidly deliver the cell lines you need to keep your projects on track. Whether you need knock-outs, knock-ins, or point mutations, our CRISPR cell line specialists will develop and supply your custom gene-edited cell line in as little as 8 weeks.

To learn more about how we can support and accelerate your pipeline with custom CRISPR cell engineering, get in touch via our inquiry form.

Jump to: 

​​Creating your custom gene-edit with Abcam

Download our PDF to learn more about our custom service

Project consultation​

Creating your custom cell line begins with a project consultation meeting, which includes an evaluation of your chosen cell line’s characteristics, such as target gene expression levels, and if modification of the target gene will impact cell cycle and growth pathways. You can either provide your own cell line or purchase a line through us or ATCC.

Project initiation

Project initiation occurs 24–48 h after receipt of your purchase order and includes a review of your project goals, determining your delivery timeline, and confirmation of shipment and invoicing details. This is also the stage where we will invoice the set-up fee.

Strategy and design proposal

Within one week of your project initiation, you will receive a design proposal that outlines the project strategy and information about the guide RNA(s) and donor design (if applicable) that will be used to create your custom gene-edit. You will need to approve this report before we can start the project. Once we receive your approval, we will confirm the start date of your project.

During your project, you will receive three milestone reports: milestone 1, milestones 2 & 3, and milestones 4 & 5. You will additionally receive updates on the status of your gene-edit every two weeks. 

Milestone 1: cell line evaluation 

Your first milestone report will include an evaluation of cell culture conditions, mycoplasma test results, and checks for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and single-cell clonability. Transfection conditions for your desired cell line are also optimized at this stage and you will receive an invoice for the first milestone fees.

Milestone 2: transfection of cells

We will send updates every two weeks detailing the transfection results and guide edit efficiency post-transfection. The cutting efficiency of the gRNA are verified before proceeding to single-cell cloning. We will also invoice second milestone fees at this stage.

Milestone 3: single-cell cloning

Once the gRNA cutting efficiency has been validated, the transfected pool of cells will be sorted into single-cell clones. You will receive your milestones 2 & 3 progress report detailing the transfection and single-cell cloning results. The third milestone fees will be invoiced at the end of this process.

Milestone 4: clone selection and confirmation

When the clones have grown to optimal confluency, selected clones will be picked for genotyping using either Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) or Sanger sequencing. Confirmed clones will be expanded and cryopreserved. We will also invoice the fourth milestone fee after cryopreserving the cells.

Milestone 5: final clone confirmation

Once the final clone(s) have been selected, we will re-confirm the genotyping of the clone(s) as an added validation. This final validation process also includes cell viability after cryopreservation, cell morphology, and mycoplasma-negative results. You will receive a final report that summarizes the complete experimental strategy and results, including the final validation of your cell line. We will arrange shipment and final invoicing at this stage. 

Additional assay services

We offer additional assay services after completion of your custom project, including:

  • Proteomic assays, i.e. Western blot validation, ICC, flow cytometry, FACS, or ELISA
  • Exon sequencing
  • Genomic assays qPCR & ddPCR
  • Transcriptomics assays: RNA sequencing
  • Gene copy number
  • Biomarker identification
  • Cell expansion and cryopreservation

If you require additional assay services with your custom cell engineering project, you can discuss the details with your dedicated project manager.

Estimated timeline


FAQs

Which types of custom gene-edits do you offer?

We can work with you to deliver custom cell lines using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, including:

  • Knock-out (KO)
  • Point mutation (PM)
  • Knock-in (KI) – small and large fragment
  • Conditional knock-out (CKO)

As each gene-edit is unique, the time to complete your project will vary depending on the type of edit required. We have estimated the lead times for each type of custom CRISPR cell line below:

Which cell lines are available?

We have experience in generating over 1,300 gene-edited cell lines in more than 200 backgrounds, including iPSCs. You can either provide us with your own cell line of interest to edit, or we can source it for you.

Contact us by completing our inquiry form to let us know what your gene & cell line of interest is. 

Do you provide single clones or cell pool?

The standard custom cell editing service we provide will result in a single-clonal cell line. However, we can also provide a cell pool in addition to the single-clonal cell line - please mention your preference on the inquiry form.

What will I receive upon project completion?

After completion of a project you will be provided with:

  • One edited clone (1x106 cells/vial), x 2)
  • One vial of wild type to use as a control (1x106 cells/vial)
  • Final project report consisting of the design proposal, experiment design, and genomic sequencing.

What quality control testing do you provide?

Final clone(s) undergo the following quality control confirmation testing and results are provided in the final project report.

  • Cell viability: >70% cell survival
  • Mycoplasma Test: Negative
  • Genotyping (NGS or Sanger Sequencing)
  • Cell count (1x106 cells/vial)
  • Cell morphology evaluation

Which CRISPR licenses do you operate under?

We operate under Broad Institute, ERS, and Sigma-Aldrich CRISPR Use License Agreements, allowing a wide range of edits. 

How much do custom cell engineering projects cost?

Projects are individually costed depending on the modification and your requirements. Once you complete our inquiry form, we’ll get in touch to confirm the costs. Your sales representative will be able to provide you with a comprehensive quote that fits your needs.

What support will be available to me?

Once the project has been initiated, you will be assigned a dedicated project manager. They will keep in regular contact with you along the way, informing you in detail of progress and milestones. After the project is completed, they’ll be on hand for any technical support you might need.

How should I use my cell line once it has been received? 

Upon completion of the project, your cell line will be shipped out to you on dry-ice along with any supporting materials you’ve requested. If you do not plan to resuscitate straight away, we recommend storing the product in liquid nitrogen immediately upon receipt. The cell lines come ready-to-freeze and do not require additional cryopreservation steps.

To make the most of your custom cell line, check out our cell line support content including: