Sequence-independent optical regulation of CRISPR/Cas editing using star-shaped crRNA dendrimers

Abstract

Precise spatiotemporal control of CRISPR/Cas editing is vital for studying dynamic processes and ensuring therapeutic safety. We present a single-site photolabile crRNA dendrimer platform enabling robust, sequence-independent optical regulation of Cas9 and Cas12a. This simple, universal strategy achieves rapid OFF-to-ON control with minimal leakage, advancing programmable, light-responsive genome editing for biomedical applications.