Education

PrimeEditing

Prime Editing vs CRISPR

When to choose Prime Editing, when to stay with CRISPR.

Compare Prime Editing and CRISPR use cases, efficiencies, and workflows with guidance from Helix Studio, the Genome IDE supporting both modalities.

System of Record →

Section 1

What the tool is

Prime Editing and CRISPR share the goal of rewriting DNA, but they solve different problems with different trade-offs.

Section 2

Why scientists care

Teams waste cycles debating platforms without a clear, experiment-driven decision framework.

Section 3

How Helix solves it

Decision criteria by edit type (knockout, precise substitution, small insert/delete)

Section 4

How the algorithm works

Helix uses modality-aware scoring: nuclease cut efficiency models for CRISPR and RTT/PBS stability + nick alignment for Prime Editing.

Section 5

Try it in Helix Studio

Walk through the decision prompts, choose a modality, and start designing with pre-loaded templates.

Section 6

FAQ

When should I prefer Prime Editing over HDR?

When you need precise edits without double-strand breaks or donor templates, especially in difficult-to-transfect systems.

Do you support running both in one project?

Yes—design and simulate both strategies; Helix keeps them in the same project with shared context.

How do efficiencies compare?

We surface model implied efficiency ranges for each approach based on published data and your target context.