# Minimal genome-wide human CRISPR-Cas9 library

## TL;DR

Researchers created a smaller, more efficient CRISPR-Cas9 library that still works well for genetic studies.

## Contribution

A new minimal CRISPR-Cas9 library is introduced, significantly smaller yet effective for genome-wide studies.

## Key findings

- MinLibCas9 reduces library size by over 42% without losing sensitivity or specificity.
- The library maintains compatibility with existing datasets and improves dynamic range in CRISPR screens.

## Abstract

CRISPR guide RNA libraries have been iteratively improved to provide increasingly efficient reagents, although their large size is a barrier for many applications. We design an optimised minimal genome-wide human CRISPR-Cas9 library (MinLibCas9) by mining existing large-scale gene loss-of-function datasets, resulting in a greater than 42% reduction in size compared to other CRISPR-Cas9 libraries while preserving assay sensitivity and specificity. MinLibCas9 provides backward compatibility with existing datasets, increases the dynamic range of CRISPR-Cas9 screens and extends their application to complex models and assays.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13059-021-02268-4.