CasPINS: an integrated web-based platform for CRISPR/TALEN gRNA design, primer generation, and indel decomposition analysis
Abstract Genome editing researchers currently navigate multiple disconnected tools for guide RNA (gRNA) design, primer generation, and editing analysis—a fragmented workflow that introduces errors and limits reproducibility. CasPINS (Cas-Primer-Indel Suite) addresses this gap as an open-source, unified platform integrating the complete genome editing computational workflow into a single interactive web application accessible without programming expertise. The platform supports 90+ species, 14 CRISPR-Cas variants, TALEN design, and six editing modes. Primer design integrates with Ensembl and NCBI databases relative to cut sites, while indel quantification utilizes Non-Negative Least Squares (NNLS) decomposition of Sanger chromatograms with maximum signal extraction and R2-corrected conservative modes. Benchmarking demonstrates strong concordance with established tools, including a 68.8% recovery of CHOPCHOP gRNAs and 67.2% of CRISPOR gRNAs across five human benchmark genes, alongside an algorithmic agreement within 2.6 percentage points on gold-standard TIDE data. Ultimately, a step-count analysis shows that CasPINS significantly streamlines usability, reducing discrete user actions from 25 to 8 steps compared to the traditional sequential-tool pipeline.