<QaBoxq="On top of that, the cells need to be differentiated properly, and you have to know how to handle them correctly. The medium required is very expensive, and working with these cells is almost more of an art than a science. You have to know when the cells look 'happy' or not because you don't want to waste time on cells that aren't in good condition. I've run quite a few of these assays myself, and while they are great for CF work and provide results that are relevant to patient outcomes, they are technically challenging and very demanding."a="If you want a functional output to show that the CFTR protein is working again, I would recommend starting with one of the easier models, like organoids. We also have in our lab 16HBE cells with a YFP sensor. I don't know if you've heard or read about that. These cells express YFP, which is sensitive to halide ions, including chloride and iodide. When you add a buffer containing these ions to the cells, the YFP intensity quenches. This is something we typically use in our experiments."/>
<QaBoxq="For wild-type cells, you see a rapid and dramatic quenching because CFTR allows these ions to enter the cells. In cells with the mutation, there’s no quenching because the channel isn’t working. While it’s less relevant because these aren't patient cells, it’s closer to reality. The 16HBE cell line is an airway epithelial line, and the expression of CFTR is endogenous, so it’s not at the exaggerated levels you might see in more artificial models like HEK cells."a="Using the YFP assay could be a good alternative or a Plan B for getting a functional readout. This assay is medium to high throughput—you can run entire 96-well plates in about half an hour. All you need for this is the cells and a plate reader that can measure fluorescence and inject the buffer. If you don’t have a plate reader with an injection system, you can also manually add the buffer and quickly place the plate in the machine."/>
<QaBoxq="Yes, that sounds quite good. I think we’ll definitely consider that as a method."a="If you have a little more time, I wanted to ask about the pegRNA. You stabilized it with a stem loop or some kind of motif in the paper, like the trevopreQ1. Did you test other motifs as well, or...?"/>