The ARGO project is considered very successful from June 2019-June 2024, as can be judged from the output in terms of publications in respectable scientific journals, as well a patent application, all with the involvement of PhD students/Postdocs/PIs. As stated in the original proposal, the technologies in general, and the to-be-developed methods for obtaining variant enzymes as well as the screening/selection thereof, is applicable for Argonautes and the related CRISPR-associated nucleases. Compared to the original proposal, the scope has indeed been widened a bit from just Argonaute (-like) proteins to RNA/DNA-guided nucleases (both CRISPR-Cas nucleases, and their transposon-associated ancestor (TnpB) that share the same catalytic domain (PIWI/RuvC). This implies that apart from the proposed Argonautes (like CbAgo, TtAgo, PfAgo), also selected CRISPR-associated nucleases are studied in the course of the project (ThermoCas9, Cas12m, Cas12f, TnpB).
Overview of Results, Exploitation & Dissimination
The ARGO project has led to a series of publications in high impact, open access Journals, as well as to a single patent application (describing a new methos for detecting disease-related nucleic acid variations in crude human samples. As indicated in more detail below (Table 1, Table 2) the work has been presented and discussed at several international scientific meetings, both physical and on-line (during the COVID pandemic), as well as several occasions organized to reach out to the general public in the Netherlands (varying from articles in local newspapers to the Paradiso theatre, and from tv interviews to a music festival (Lowlands)).
Table 1. Involvement of recruited scientists (PD, PhD) in different sub-Projects of ARGO project.
Output as indicated (PUB, publication(s); PAT, patent; LEC, lectures); PUB*=PUB in preparation.
# Name Ago Cas9 Cas12 Type III Output
1 Ioannis Mougiakos (PD) + PUB, LEC
2 Jorrit Hegge (PD) + PUB, LEC
3 Prarthana Mohanraju (PD) + + PUB, LEC
4 Maartje Luteijn (PD) + PUB
5 Wen Wu (PD) + + PUB, LEC
6 Isabelle Zink (PD) + PUB*, LEC, PAT
7 Laureen Mertens (PD) + PUB*
8 Thomas Swartjes (PD) + PUB
9 Jurre Steens (PhD) + + PUB, LEC
10 Eugenios Bouzetos (PhD) + + PUB
Table 2. Involvement of staff scientists (PI, principle investigator; AP, Associate Prof, TC, Technician)
in different sub-Projects of ARGO project. Output as indicated (PUB, publication(s);
PAT, patent; LEC, lectures); PUB*=PUB in preparation.
# Name Ago Cas9 Cas12 Type III Output
1. John van der Oost (PI) + + + + PUB, PAT, LEC
2. Raymond Staals (AP) + + + PUB, PAT, LEC
3. Rob Joosten (TC) + PUB
