Award-winning toolkit empowers over 1,000 high school students in the past year

(WILMINGTON, Del. – December 18, 2024)

ChristianaCare’s Gene Editing Institute’s CRISPR in a Box™ teaching toolkit has been named the #2 innovation on The Scientist’s Top 10 Innovations list for 2024. This cutting-edge toolkit has already empowered over 1,000 students this year, providing a hands-on experience with one of the most exciting technologies in modern science.

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“Being recognized by The Scientist underscores the profound impact CRISPR in a Box™ is having on the next generation of scientists and how it is shaping the future of STEM education,” said Amanda Hewes, M.S., education program manager at the Gene Editing Institute. “This award celebrates the power of education to demystify CRISPR technology and inspire young minds to explore cutting-edge science. With this toolkit, students not only grasp the science behind gene editing but also develop practical lab skills, fostering both their curiosity and their capability to make a difference in the future of science and health care.”

CRISPR in a Box™ gives students the opportunity to perform a real CRISPR gene-editing experiment in just three hours. The flexible lesson plan allows teachers to integrate the experiment into their curriculum with ease. Along the way, students learn essential lab techniques such as:

• Centrifugation
• Bacterial transformation
• DNA isolation
• Data analysis of bacterial colonies
• Micropipetting skills

Within 24 hours, students can see the results of their gene-editing experiment in non-infectious E. coli cells, bringing the science to life in a tangible and engaging way. By blending theory and practice, CRISPR in a Box™ bridges the gap between textbook learning and real-world lab experience.

CRISPR in a Box™ is the only educational product to make The Scientist’s prestigious list, which celebrates groundbreaking tools that advance scientific research. Since 2008, the list has spotlighted innovations that make the biggest impact on the field of life sciences. The inclusion of CRISPR in a Box™ underscores the growing importance of accessible, hands-on learning in inspiring the next generation of scientists.

“Science doesn’t always need complicated tools to make an impact,” said Eric Kmiec, Ph.D., executive director and chief scientific officer at the Gene Editing Institute. “Sometimes simplicity is key. This kit turns the complex process of gene editing into an understandable and empowering experience for high school students, helping them see themselves as future scientists from their very first experiment.”

In addition to its spot on The Scientist’s list, CRISPR in a Box™ was named a finalist in the Best of STEM 2023 Awards by the National Science Teaching Association, MCH Strategic Data, and the National Association of Biology Teachers. These accolades emphasize the toolkit’s exceptional role in transforming STEM education.

To learn more about or to purchase CRISPR in a Box, visit Carolina Biological’s website here.

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About ChristianaCare

Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, ChristianaCare is one of the country’s most dynamic health care organizations, centered on improving health outcomes, and innovating to make high-quality care more accessible, equitable and affordable. ChristianaCare includes an extensive network of primary care and outpatient services, home health care, urgent care centers, three hospitals (1,430 beds), a freestanding emergency department, a Level I trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a comprehensive stroke center and regional centers of excellence in heart and vascular care, cancer care and women’s health. It also includes the pioneering Gene Editing Institute.

ChristianaCare is nationally recognized as a great place to work, rated by Forbes as one of the nation’s best employers for diversity and inclusion. ChristianaCare is rated by Newsweek as one of the World’s Best Hospitals and is continually ranked among the best in the U.S. in national quality and safety ratings. ChristianaCare is a nonprofit teaching health system with more than 260 residents and fellows. With its groundbreaking Center for Virtual Health and a focus on population health and value-based care, ChristianaCare is shaping the future of health care.

About the ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute

The Gene Editing Institute at ChristianaCare is a worldwide leader in CRISPR gene editing technology. As the only institute of its kind based within a community health care system, the Gene Editing Institute has a unique opportunity to take a patient-first approach in all its research by working side by side with oncologists and other medical experts to improve the lives of people with cancer and inherited diseases. Since 2015, its researchers have led several ground-breaking firsts in the field that will help bring treatments to patients quickly and safely. They recently discovered that disabling a lung cancer gene called NRF2 using CRISPR gene editing allows chemotherapy work better to target cancer cells. Lung cancer resistance to chemotherapy has long been elusive. The Gene Editing Institute, working with its spin out company CorriXR Therapeutics, is close to approval from the FDA to start clinical trials in humans. In addition to scientific breakthroughs, The Gene Editing Institute is preparing the next generation of gene editing scientists through its on-site Learning Lab and immersive CRISPR In A Box™ teaching toolkit reaching more than 1,000 students across multiple states.

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