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From 2013.igem.org

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Genetically Modified Yogurt

CRISPR Space-R

The CRISPR system gains it's specificity through RNA transcribed from highly variable spacer regions that are separated by conserved repeat regions. The resulting small RNAs are used to target phage DNA and confer immunity to the bacterial host. While one of the most useful feature of CRISPR is it's easily engineered specificity, spacer regions could potentially have "off target" activity and unintended implications. We are currently in the process of building a repository for CRISPR spacer sequences for the iGEM community. Our server will host the sequences and a BLAST-pipeline that will retrieve all the possible sequences from public databases that could be targeted by the submitted spacer. Once a spacer sequence is submitted and BLAST-results are generated, a review process will take place where two anonymous iGEM teams submit a safety assessment. This will include possible societal, environmental and scientific implications of the spacer region as they relate to the possible target sequences. Moreover, this could help seed new ideas and applications with the newly designed spacers. Here is an example of a submission form for Space-R: