ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute

What ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute does

ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute is a non-profit research institute founded in 2015 and embedded within ChristianaCare's Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute in Newark, Delaware. It operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of the ChristianaCare health system and is led by gene editing pioneer Eric Kmiec, Ph.D. The Institute pursues CRISPR-directed gene editing research with a primary focus on oncology, particularly targeting the NRF2 gene to restore chemotherapy sensitivity in solid tumors (lung, head/neck, esophageal cancers). It has developed proprietary technologies including the ExACT single-strand template repair pathway, cell-free gene editing, and the DECODR computational analysis tool, and holds a portfolio of patents covering NRF2 targeting, multiple delivery modalities (intratumoral, adenovirus, lipid nanoparticle), and indel detection (CompleteKill and SureKill).

The Institute operates across three pillars: therapeutic development (spun out into Corrixr Therapeutics in 2022, which is advancing NRF2 gene ablation toward FDA IND approval), analysis tools (DECODR software, spun out into DECODR, Inc. in 2026 for global commercialization), and education programs (CRISPR in a Box toolkit distributed through Carolina Biological, the on-site Learning Lab at University of Delaware's STAR Campus, and the Gene Editing 360 platform). It has launched two spin-off companies, secured multiple federal grants (NSF, NIH, BIRD Foundation), and built educational partnerships with Delaware Technical Community College, Drexel University, Salem Academy, and The Franklin Institute. CRISPR in a Box was named the #2 innovation on The Scientist's Top 10 Innovations list for 2024.

The revenue model is hybrid: a non-profit research base funded by federal grants, philanthropy, and endowment support (Ammon Foundation), supplemented by modest CRISPR in a Box kit sales through Carolina Biological, licensing revenue (NovellusDx technology license, commercial DECODR licensing), and donations channeled through ChristianaCare's giving platform. The Institute has 13 employees and is governed within the ChristianaCare parent structure, with FDA IND discussions initiated for its lead solid tumor therapy program.

Name

ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute

Legal name

ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute

Website

https://geneeditinginstitute.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute is a non-profit research subsidiary developing CRISPR gene editing therapies for solid tumors, supported by educational products (CRISPR in a Box, Learning Lab) and computational tools (DECODR), serving cancer patients, students, and life sciences researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biotechnology Research and Gene Editing Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

akta.pro primary industry

Genome Editing Gene Therapies (CRISPR/TALEN/ZFN; in vivo/ex vivo) (HLAAACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Oncology Gene Therapies (incl. oncolytic vectors & gene-modified approaches) (HLAAACAF)

Keywords

• CRISPR gene editing
• Cancer therapy research
• Biotechnology education
• Genomic analysis software
• Nonprofit research institute

Headquarters

HQ city

Newark

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. CRISPR in a Box Educational Kit Sales: Sale of educational toolkit through distributor Carolina Biological. The kit is available for purchase at Carolina.com and via phone/email. Target customers include high schools, community colleges, and universities.
2. Grant Funding: Research operations supported by federal grants including $500,000 federal grant (2026) for Learning Lab expansion, $1 million NSF grant (2017) for gene editing curriculum development, and $1 million grant for sickle cell disease research (2020). Also supported by BIRD Foundation and Ammon Foundation endowment.
3. DECODR Licensing: DECODR software available free to non-profit and academic researchers. Commercial for-profit users can license through contact at [email protected]. Spinoff company DECODR, Inc. launched in 2026 to expand access globally.
4. Technology Licensing: Gene editing technology from the institute was licensed to NovellusDx in 2019 for next-generation personalized cancer care. Additional licensing opportunities available through partnership inquiries.
5. Donations and Philanthropy: Non-profit research institute dependent on community support and philanthropy. Donation page available at giving.christianacare.org/gene-editing-institute.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute is a non-profit translational research organization that develops CRISPR gene editing therapies targeting solid tumors (notably NRF2 gene ablation for lung, head/neck, and esophageal cancers), produces the DECODR software tool for quantifying CRISPR edits, and delivers hands-on gene editing education to high school and college students through the CRISPR in a Box toolkit and on-site Learning Lab programs.

Product overview

The Gene Editing Institute operates as a research and education organization with three main pillars: (1) Therapeutic Development via Corrixr Therapeutics spin-out focusing on NRF2 gene ablation for cancer treatment, (2) Analysis Tools including DECODR™ for CRISPR edit quantification, and (3) Education Programs under Gene Editing 360™ platform featuring CRISPR in a Box™ educational toolkit and Learning Lab on-site programs. The institute also has patents filed for CompleteKill and SureKill technologies for gene editing and indel detection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CRISPR in a Box™: Educational toolkit providing hands-on gene editing experience for high school and college students
• Gene Editing 360™
• DECODR™

Products and services

• CRISPR in a Box
• DECODR (Deconvolution of Complex DNA Repair)
• Learning Lab
• Gene Editing 360
• NRF2 Gene Ablation Therapy

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of Learning Lab students increased confidence in micropipetting and basic lab skills
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DECODR, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026New for-profit company launched in 2026 to bring DECODR software tool to scientists worldwide. Expands access to one of world's leading tools to evaluate effectiveness of CRISPR gene editing.
• Junior Achievement of DelawareminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership brings JA students into the lab to meet with research scientists, discuss career journeys, and learn about resources available as they advance in their careers. Aligns with mission to inspire and prepare young people for future workforce.
• Inspiring Women in STEMminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Conference series delivering professional development and leadership programs to encourage and support women in STEM. Institute sends scientists to annual conference to present experiences and is yearly donor.
• Carolina BiologicalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022Current manufacturer and distributor for CRISPR in a Box educational toolkit. Based in North Carolina, has supported the program since 2021 when training students and educators at Salem Academy. Distributes to high schools, community colleges, and universities nationwide.
• Corrixr TherapeuticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022First spinout company launched in 2022 to advance gene ablation therapy toward clinical trials. Gene Editing Institute serves as scientific engine for Corrixr, working together to advance therapy toward FDA approval. Once approved, it will be first of its kind.
• Salem AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021All-girls academy in Winston-Salem, North Carolina became first school in North Carolina to offer CRISPR in a Box workshops. Partnership brings innovative STEAM education to young women and creates pathways for future careers in biotechnology.
• Drexel UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership with School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems for BioMed Summer Academy. Students perform gene editing experiments with CRISPR in a Box. Instructors receive primer course, experimental protocol, and virtual staff support during three-week summer program.
• The Franklin InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership gives STEM Scholars program students opportunity to conduct gene editing experiments. Also brings graduate students from E.E. Just Society into classroom to provide mentorship on CRISPR and career pathways in bioscience.
• Million Women MentorsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Network encouraging girls and women to pursue STEM careers. Delaware branch supported in tandem by Delaware STEM Council and Delaware Foundation for Science & Math Education. Education program manager Amanda Hewes honored as Outstanding Woman in STEM 2023.
• NovellusDxcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2019Gene editing technology licensed to NovellusDx to drive next-generation personalized cancer care. The technology enables multiple simultaneous gene edits for more precise cancer treatments. Partnership followed researchers confirming new CRISPR tool executes multiple edits simultaneously.
• Delaware BioScience AssociationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Catalyst for bioscience innovation in Delaware. Institute supports and collaborates on talks about gene editing importance, BioBreakfasts, networking events, and goals of advancing Delaware's bioscience community.
• Delaware Technical Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Collaboration on $1 million NSF grant to develop first gene editing curriculum for community college students in the U.S. Based around CRISPR in a Box, this partnership led to creation of novel gene editing courses integrated into Bachelor of Science and Associates of Applied Sciences programs. Dr. Mike Buoni serves on the teacher advisory board.
• The Wistar InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Agreement to expand research in gene editing, combining Wistar Institute expertise with Gene Editing Institute capabilities to accelerate breakthrough cancer research in the human genome.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Edvotek: Educational biotechnology kit provider serving high schools and colleges with hands-on molecular biology experiments. Comparable to GEI/CRISPR in a Box as a competing supplier in the educational biotechnology kits market.
• miniPCR: Educational biotech company producing accessible DNA amplification and electrophoresis tools for classrooms. Comparable to GEI's CRISPR in a Box in the educational STEM tooling market.
• Synthego: CRISPR tools and services provider offering synthetic sgRNAs and cell engineering services. Overlaps with GEI's research tools segment (DECODR) and serves the same CRISPR researcher customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Addgene: Non-profit plasmid repository widely used by CRISPR researchers for sharing vectors and reagents. Comparable to GEI/DECODR as a CRISPR research-enabling platform serving academic and commercial scientists.
• Aldevron: Provider of plasmids, mRNA, and proteins for gene and cell therapy developers. Comparable to GEI as a CRISPR/gene editing support infrastructure provider to therapeutic developers.

Direct peers

• Beam Therapeutics: Clinical-stage base editing company with oncology programs. Comparable to GEI as a next-generation gene editing oncology peer, though Beam applies base editing rather than CRISPR double-strand breaks.
• Editas Medicine: Clinical-stage CRISPR gene editing company with oncology and rare disease programs, including Cas12a and Cas9 platforms. Comparable to GEI's therapeutic CRISPR pipeline targeting solid tumors and the inherited disease (sickle cell) research program.
• Caribou Biosciences: Clinical-stage CRISPR genome editing company focused on allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies for cancer. Comparable to GEI on CRISPR-driven cancer therapeutic development.
• Intellia Therapeutics: Clinical-stage company developing in vivo CRISPR/Cas9 therapies, including LNP-delivered gene editing programs. Comparable to GEI's in vivo NRF2 disruption approach and LNP delivery patent filings.
• CRISPR Therapeutics: Clinical-stage CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing company developing ex vivo and in vivo therapies for cancer and hemoglobinopathies. Directly comparable to GEI's CRISPR-based cancer therapy pipeline, including Cas9-edited allogeneic CAR-T programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/christianacare-gene-editing-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute