A collaboration between computer scientists and biologists from research institutions across the United States is yielding a set of computational tools that increase efficiency and accuracy when deploying CRISPR, a gene-editing technology that is transforming industries from healthcare to agriculture.

CRISPR is a nano-sized sewing kit that can be designed to cut and alter DNA at a specific point in a specific gene.

The technology, for example, may lead to breakthrough applications such as modifying cells to combat cancer or produce high-yielding drought-tolerant crops such as wheat and corn.

Elevation, the newest tool released by the team, uses a branch of artificial intelligence known as machine learning to predict so-called off-target effects when editing genes with the CRISPR system.