Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering
Jain Lab
Led by Piyush Jain · Chemical Engineering
What we study
The Jain Lab studies CRISPR/Cas9 technology, focusing on improving its specificity and delivery methods for genome editing. They use nucleic acids chemistry, protein engineering, and nanomaterials to address challenges in safety and efficacy.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Human participants
- Cells in a dish
- No organisms (data only)
- Bacteria & microbes
- Coding helps
- Projects
- 6
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Understanding and improving CRISPR specificity
Modifying CRISPR/Cas components to reduce off-target DNA cuts.
Targeted delivery of CRISPR/Cas systems
Designing nanoparticles to deliver CRISPR/Cas safely into cells.
Show 4 more projectsShow fewer
Multiplexing of Cas Orthologs Detection of Infectious Diseases
The lab is developing a CRISPR‑based test that can tell apart different strains of hepatitis C (subtype 1a and 1b) in one run without expensive machines. They are combining up to four different Cas proteins and using RNA thermometers to keep the test specific.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 603
Antiviral immunity via de novo tandem repeat proteins
The project looks at a bacterial defense system called DRT2 that uses a reverse transcriptase and a noncoding RNA to stop phage infections. Students will study how the reverse transcriptase makes long cDNA strands, how those strands become double‑stranded DNA, and how the resulting mRNA produces a protein that stops bacterial growth. The goal is to understand the steps from protein production to g
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 349
Efficient Genome Editing with Chimeric Oligonucleotide-Directed Editing
The lab creates new protein tools called CODEMax and CODEMax(exo+) that let scientists make small changes to DNA in human cells more efficiently and with fewer unwanted edits. The student helped engineer and test these tools for inserting, deleting, or swapping DNA pieces.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 222
Novel DNA-guided CRISPR/AsCas12a System for RNA Targeting
Researchers designed a DNA guide that works with a CRISPR enzyme to find and cut RNA molecules. The system works quickly in test tubes and in living cells, showing promise for new diagnostics and therapies.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 101
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Efficient genome editing with chimeric oligonucleotide-directed editing
2026 · Nature Communications
Builds a new tool for precise gene editing.
- Architecture of a DNA-guided Cas12a
2026 · Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
Shows how Cas12a uses DNA to target RNA.
Show 3 more papersShow fewer
- Single-nucleotide RNA m6A mapping in bovine preimplantation development reveals site-specific regulation of RPL12 at zygotic genome activation
2026 · Cell Reports
Maps RNA modifications in early cow embryos.
- CRISPR-based ex vivo gene editing of donor organs
2026 · Nature Reviews Bioengineering
- DNA-guided CRISPR–Cas12 for cellular RNA targeting
2026 · Nature Biotechnology
Uses DNA guides to target RNA with Cas12 nucleases.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
Piyush Jain hasn't set up this page yet. Their UF Scholars profile lists their publications.