Sigma Life Science Launches CRISPR/Cas Genome Editing Tools

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sigma-Aldrich^® Corporation (Nasdaq: SIAL) today announced that Sigma^® Life Science, its innovative biological products and services business, released Sigma CRISPRs, an inexpensive mammalian genome editing tool suitable for screening and exploratory studies. Sigma CRISPRs are packaged in a single plasmid vector containing GFP for fast enrichment of gene-edited cells and can be custom-designed online using an exclusive bioinformatics tool at www.sigma.com/crisprs.

Derived from bacterial and archaeal immune defenses, which guard against invading viruses and foreign DNA, Sigma CRISPRs utilize customizable RNA–nuclease complexes that allow introduction of genome edits at a desired site in mammalian genomes with high efficiency.

Sigma's exclusive online design tool allows users to identify the best target site(s) within human, mouse, and rat protein-coding exons that adhere to CRISPR/Cas targeting requirements. It is the only commercial tool that minimizes the possibility of off-target effects by automatically applying CRISPR/Cas best design practices, including a minimum requirement of three base-pair mismatches between the target site and other sites in the genome. Researchers can also request CRISPR/Cas targets derived from their own design preferences or they can engage Sigma's expert CompoZr^® Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN) bioinformatics team to produce a custom design based on cutting-edge public and proprietary CRISPR guidelines.

"Sigma developed CompoZr ZFN technology in 2008, and now ZFNs are the gold standard in genome editing.  We have used that expertise to create Sigma CRISPRs, which provide researchers a quicker and more affordable way to screen genes of interest.  After important targets have been identified with Sigma CRISPRs, the biologically relevant mutations can be validated with ultra-specific CompoZr ZFNs to reduce potential off-targeting," said Shawn Shafer, Ph.D., Functional Genomics Market Segment Manager at Sigma Life Science.

"The ability to manipulate mammalian genomes is transformative for biology. The Sigma CRISPR/Cas technology holds significant promise for development and use as an early, inexpensive tool for targeted gene editing," said Greg Davis, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, R&D at Sigma-Aldrich, whose team is actively working to advance the technology.

For more information, visit www.sigma.com/crisprs.

Cautionary Statement: The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "inexpensive," "affordable," "quick-to-order," "high efficiency," or similar expressions, or by expressed or implied discussions regarding potential future revenues from products derived there from. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of management regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. There can be no guarantee that these Sigma CRISPRs or related services will assist the Company to achieve any particular levels of revenue in the future. In particular, management's expectations regarding products associated with Sigma CRISPRs or related services could be affected by, among other things, unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the Company's ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection; competition in general; government, industry and general public pricing pressures; the impact that the foregoing factors could have on the values attributed to the Company's assets and liabilities as recorded in its consolidated balance sheet, and other risks and factors referred to in Sigma-Aldrich's current Form 10-K on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Sigma-Aldrich is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Sigma Life Science: Sigma Life Science is a Sigma-Aldrich business that represents the Company's leadership in innovative biological products and services for the global life science market and offers an array of biologically-rich products and reagents that researchers use in scientific investigation. Product areas include biomolecules, genomics and functional genomics, cells and cell-based assays, transgenics, protein assays, stem cell research, epigenetics and custom services/oligonucleotides. Sigma Life Science also provides an extensive range critical bioessentials like biochemicals, antibiotics, buffers, carbohydrates, enzymes, forensic tools, hematology and histology, nucleotides, amino acids and their derivatives, and cell culture media.

About Sigma-Aldrich:  Sigma-Aldrich, a leading Life Science and High Technology company focused on enhancing human health and safety, manufactures and distributes more than 200,000 chemicals, biochemicals and other essential products to more than 1.4 million customers globally in research and applied labs as well as in industrial and commercial markets. With three distinct business units – Research, Applied and SAFC Commercial – Sigma-Aldrich is committed to enabling science to improve the quality of life. The Company operates in 38 countries, has more than 9,000 employees worldwide and had sales of $2.6 billion in 2012. For more information about Sigma-Aldrich, please visit its website at www.sigma-aldrich.com.

Sigma-Aldrich, Sigma and CompoZr are trademarks of Sigma-Aldrich Co, LLC registered in the US and other countries.

SOURCE Sigma-Aldrich Corporation