CasNxSCIENCE & PROGRAMConnect
01

PROGRAMMABLE BIOLOGY

DNA-guided CRISPR
for donor organs.

Our team’s work expands what CRISPR–Cas12 can recognize and do. DNA-based guides are the foundation of our current RNA-targeting approach.

Guide sequences direct the system toward selected molecular targets, creating a way to investigate the pathways that shape organ injury and resilience.

Explore the kidney program
DNA-GUIDED AsCas12aPDB 11VQ
AsCas12a proteinψDNA guideTarget RNA

Experimental cryo-EM structure · 3.18 Å
Fregoso Ocampo et al. · View structure

  1. 01 / THE TOOL

    A programmable guide

    Directing CRISPR toward a selected molecular target.

  2. 02 / THE ACTION

    Targeted RNA reduction

    Investigating a change in selected gene activity.

  3. 03 / THE ORGAN QUESTION

    Kidney resilience

    Testing whether molecular activity can translate into organ benefit.

02

PUBLISHED PLATFORM EVIDENCE

NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY / 2026

One target at a time.
Or four together.

Published experiments show RNA reduction with individual ψDNA guides and with four guides combined.

Individual knockdown

One guide per target

ORIGINAL FIGURE / 3hEnlarge
Original Fig. 3h: individual gene-specific ψDNA guides reduce PPIA, RPL4, PCSK9, NRAS and SMARCA4 mRNA relative to nontargeting controls. Gray control bars and blue target bars show means, three biological replicate points, and SEM error bars.
AsCas12a-expressing HEK293T cells · RT–qPCR · n = 3 biological replicates · mean ± SEM. Five individually targeted transcripts, including SMARCA4.
Original panel from Fig. 3h, Orosco, Huang, Rananaware et al., Nature Biotechnology (2026).

Multiplex knockdown

Four targets in one experiment

ORIGINAL FIGURE / 4fEnlarge
Original Fig. 4f: relative mRNA expression of PPIA, RPL4, NRAS and PCSK9 across a nontargeting control, a PPIA guide, and guide mixtures II, III and IV. Mixture IV reduces all four transcripts to approximately 0.18–0.29 of control. Bars show means, three biological replicate points, and SEM error bars.
AsCas12a-expressing HEK293T cells · RT–qPCR · n = 3 biological replicates · mean ± SEM. PPIA, RPL4, NRAS and PCSK9 targeted together in ψMix IV.
Original panel from Fig. 4f, Orosco, Huang, Rananaware et al., Nature Biotechnology (2026).
03

OUR FIRST PROGRAM

Start with the kidney.
Build the evidence.

Our first organ program investigates pathways involved in preservation and reperfusion injury. A focused beginning for a broader organ-engineering vision.

  1. NOW / CURRENT RESEARCH

    Human donor
    kidney tissue

    Investigating RNA knockdown and molecular activity in donor kidney tissue.

  2. NEXT / PLANNED EVALUATION

    Whole-organ
    perfusion

    Study treatment distribution, target engagement, injury markers, and organ function in a perfused kidney.

  3. BEYOND / LONG-TERM VISION

    Programmable
    organ biology

    Expand RNA programming and explore a separate future path toward durable DNA editing.

THE NEXT QUESTIONS

From a molecular signal
to organ function.