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Excellent Science INNOVATION
Gene editing on demand for in vivo applications
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Market Maturity: Business Ready
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Market Creation Potential
This innovation was assessed by the JRC’s Market Creation Potential indicator framework as addressing the needs of existing markets and existing customers. Learn more
Women-led innovation
A woman had a leadership role in developing this innovation in at least one of the Key Innovator organisations listed below.
Go to Market needs
Needs that, if addressed, can increase the chances this innovation gets to (or closer to) the market incude:
  • Prepare for Market entry
  • Secure capital
  • Scale-up market opportunities
Location of Key Innovators developing this innovation
Key Innovators
UN Sustainable Development Goals(SDG)
This innovation contributes to the following SDG(s)
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 3
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

The UN explains: "Significant strides have been made in increasing life expectancy and reducing some of the common killers responsible for child and maternal mortality.

Major progress has also been made on increasing access to clean water and sanitation, reducing malaria, tuberculosis, polio and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

However, many more efforts are needed to control a wide range of diseases and address many different persistent and emerging health issues."

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 9
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

The UN explains: "Investments in infrastructure – transport, irrigation, energy and information and communication technology – are crucial to achieving sustainable development and empowering communities in many countries. It has long been recognized that growth in productivity and incomes, and improvements in health and education outcomes require investment in infrastructure."

The EU-funded Research Project
This innovation was developed under the Horizon 2020 project I-GENE with an end date of 30/04/2024
  • Read more about this project on CORDIS
Description of Project I-GENE
CRISPR/Cas9 and enzyme-based editors hold promise for genome surgery by erasing harmful mutations and re-writing in helpful ones, but face critical barriers related to safety. Here, we propose a new concept of genome engineering based on nanotransducers (NT), which aims to make safe previously impracticable applications of genome editing and transcriptional regulation by Cas9. The methodology is based on laser-activation of a NT, which triggers a thermo-switchable double strand DNA break or cleavage. The proposed technology implements a concept of multi-input AND gates, where the output (gene editing) is true if multiple inputs are true (e.g. NT activation and recognition of 2 different loci). Indeed, the dream of unique recognition of the desired genomic target from any potential off-targets in the 3 billion base pairs of human genome would be possible. The superiority of I-GENE technology over current methodologies lies also in the multi-function integration, i.e. integration of the time function (editing only when the laser is on), the spatial function (editing only where the laser is focused) and the fidelity function (editing only if on-target) (when-where-if functions integration). Overall, this enables temporal control of single cell editing and provides an absolute safety level for developing effective genome editing for biotechnology and therapeutic applications. In the present project, proof on concept studies for technology optimization will be performed on non-mammalian zebrafish embryos. Subsequently, the therapeutic potential will be validated in a murine model of melanoma. I-GENE technology would push the boundaries of efficient and reliable ways to make precise, targeted changes to the genome of living cells that is the long-standing and main goal of gene therapy and biomedical researchers.

Innnovation Radar's analysis of this innovation is based on data collected on 14/06/2024.
The unique id of this innovation in the European Commission's IT systems is: 20446