Why Isn't One Assay Enough For Gene Editing Off-Target Safety Assessment?

By Allie Crawley, PhD, Associate Director, Computational Biology

No single assay can provide a complete picture of gene editing off-target risk. Each method captures a different subset of potential edits, while factors such as editing modality, cell type, donor context, and dose can shift the resulting off-target profile. A more robust safety assessment brings together biochemical, computational, and cell-based approaches to identify complementary sets of candidate sites. Deep sequencing can then confirm whether editing occurred at those locations, while biological annotation helps distinguish findings that may carry meaningful safety implications.

Learn how combining orthogonal methods can reduce blind spots, strengthen confidence in off-target characterization, and support a more comprehensive evaluation of gene editing programs.