Unraveling CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering parameters via a library-on-library approach

We developed an in vivo library-on-library methodology to simultaneously assess single guide RNA (sgRNA) activity across similar to 1,400 genomic loci. Assaying across multiple human cell types and end-processing enzymes as well as two Cas9 orthologs, we unraveled underlying nucleotide sequence and epigenetic parameters. Our results and software (http://crispr.med.harvard.edu/sgRNAScorer) enable improved design of reagents, shed light on mechanisms of genome targeting, and provide a generalizable framework to study nucleic acid-nucleic acid interactions and biochemistry in high throughput.