Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42527625›Full record

ArticleGene therapy2026

SACF and GILA for in vitro transformation assessment of CRISPR/Cas9-edited cell therapy candidates: a multi-site study.

Lena Dorsheimer, Joana Rita Ferreira, Bojing Wang, Rebecca Bohnert, Rashade Haynes Ii, Sabine Kaiser, Andreas Neerincx, Corinna Smolarek, Louise Delsing, Benoit Fischer and 9 more

Abstract read
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Article in Gene therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors.

Lena Dorsheimer *Research and Development, Translational Medicine Unit, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Joana Rita Ferreira *Nonclinical Safety, Cell Therapy Safety, Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Bojing WangNonclinical Safety, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Rebecca BohnertNovartis BioMedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.
Rashade Haynes IiNonclinical Safety, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Sabine KaiserResearch and Development, Translational Medicine Unit, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Andreas NeerincxResearch & Development, Drug Discovery Sciences, Genomic Medicine, Bayer AG, Wuppertal, Germany.
Corinna SmolarekResearch & Development, Drug Discovery Sciences, Genomic Medicine, Bayer AG, Wuppertal, Germany.
Louise DelsingNonclinical Safety, Cell Therapy Safety, Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Benoit FischerNovartis BioMedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.
Stefanie KönenResearch and Development, Translational Medicine Unit, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Andreas SchulzEvidence Generation and Decision Science, Non-Clinical Efficacy & Safety Biostatistics, Sanofi, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Kyle L KolajaNonclinical Safety, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Ridhirama BhuwaniaResearch & Development, Preclinical Development, Bayer AG, Wuppertal, Germany.
Connie L ChenHealth and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI Global), Washington DC, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3704-9866
Lucilia Pereira MourièsHealth and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI Global), Washington DC, USA.
Mick FellowsNonclinical Safety, Cell Therapy Safety, Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
Silvana LibertiniNovartis BioMedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.
Myriam LemmensNovartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Inc, Cambridge, MA, USA. myriam.lemmens@novartis.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3591-4999

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tumorigenicity is a key safety concern for CRISPR/Cas9-based gene therapies, yet its assessment remains challenging due to the lack of relevant and sensitive in vivo models. This HESI Global multi-site study evaluated the Soft Agar Colony Formation (SACF) assay and the Growth in Low Attachment (GILA) assay for in vitro transformation testing of CRISPR/Cas9-edited cells as part of tumorigenicity risk assessment. Across four laboratories, MCF10A cells were spiked with varying concentrations of cells carrying a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of the known tumor suppressor PTPN12 to determine the assays' limit of detection (LOD), robustness and reproducibility. Both assays demonstrated a consistent LOD of 0.8% at most sites, with SACF showing a broader dynamic range and slightly stronger correlation across laboratories. GILA exhibited weaker correlation due to plateauing at high spike-in concentrations (>12.5%), and excluding these conditions improved inter-laboratory correlations. Additionally, the study identified key determinants of assay success, including the selection of appropriate cell lines and lots, and ensuring sufficient recovery time post-thaw. Together, these data establish multi-site reproducibility of SACF and GILA in the MCF10A-PTPN12 model evaluated here and support their use as animal-free, development-stage characterization tools contributing to tumorigenicity evidence generation.

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.