Is Pooled CRISPR-Screening the Dawn of a New Era for Functional Genomics

Functional genomics aims to develop an in-depth understanding of how specific gene dysfunctions are related to diseases. A common method for investigating the genome and its complex functions is via perturbation of the interactions between the DNA, RNA and their protein respective protein derivatives. Commonly, arrayed and pooled genetic screens are utilized to achieve this and in recent years have been fundamental in achieving the current level of understanding for gene dysfunctions. However, they are limited in specific aspects which scientists have attempted to address. Clustered regularly palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based methods for genetic screens have in recent years become more prevalent but crucially shared similar properties to previous methods and failing to provide a distinct advantage over previous methods. CROP-seq, Perturb-seq, and CRISPR-seq have combined CRISPR and single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) and is the newest addition to the geneticist’s arsenal, providing scientists with methods to edit DNA with improved speed, accuracy, and efficiency which could usher us into a new era of study methods for functional genomics. We briefly overview the CRISPR-Cas9 systems, the evolution of genetic screening in recent years, and evaluate and discuss the significance of CROP-seq, Perturb-seq, and CRISPR-seq.