BEstimate: a computational tool for the design and interpretation of CRISPR base editing experiments

Abstract

CRISPR base editors enable scalable targeted DNA mutagenesis and are a powerful tool for the interpretation of gene function, the study of variants of unknown significance, and disease modelling. Existing guide RNA (gRNA) design tools focus on engineering a small number of targeted variants in a given gene or lack comprehensive functional annotation of target sequences. Here we developed BEstimate, a flexible computational pipeline that systematically specifies base editor gRNA target sites, generates gRNA off-target predictions, and rich functional, structural and clinical annotations of targeted edits. BEstimate accommodates custom gRNA design against variant alleles, improving editing accuracy and facilitating the programmed reversion of disease variants. BEstimate is a freely available, versatile tool for designing gRNA libraries and analysing base editor screens.