New company grows out of ChristianaCare’s Gene Editing Institute to accelerate discovery and innovation
WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ChristianaCare’s Gene Editing Institute has launched DECODR, Inc., a new for‑profit company created to expand access to one of the world’s leading software tools to evaluate the effectiveness of CRISPR gene editing.
The software program grew out of the Gene Editing Institute’s mission to turn cutting‑edge science into real‑world solutions that helps patients. Now, as a standalone company, DECODR, Inc. will continue to improve and deliver its technology to researchers across academic, nonprofit and commercial settings.
“DECODR, Inc. shows how patient‑focused science can lead to tools that change an entire field,” said Eric B. Kmiec, Ph.D., executive director and chief scientific officer, Gene Editing Institute, and CEO of DECODR, Inc. “By launching DECODR, Inc., we are making sure this technology continues to grow, improve and support discoveries that matter.”
What is DECODR?
DECODR®, short for Deconvolution of Complex DNA Repair, is software that helps scientists understand what happens to DNA after it is edited using CRISPR.
Gene editing creates huge amounts of data but analyzing that data can be slow and confusing. DECODR® changes that by quickly and accurately showing what edits occurred, including insertions, deletions, combined changes and precise DNA repairs. It works using standard Sanger sequencing data, which many labs already use.
The program delivers results in seconds and can shorten scientific workflows from days to hours when compared to alternative sequencing and analysis technologies.
Independently validated and used worldwide
The software program has been independently validated in papers published in leading scientific journals and recognized for its accuracy, scale and real‑world impact. Research published in Scientific Reports, part of the Nature portfolio, found the tool is better suited than other software on the market for evaluating CRISPR edits in live, somatic gene editing models because it can measure DNA changes of any size. The CRISPR Journal has highlighted its scientific value, and Cells identified the program as the preferred option for analyzing gene edits using Sanger sequencing.
The software’s influence extends well beyond academic validation. DECODR® is used across a wide range of research and industry settings, including in cell and gene therapy development, biotechnology and gene‑editing therapeutics, agricultural plant science and animal model generation in academic and translational research labs, as well as by contract research organizations and contract development and manufacturing organizations that support CRISPR programs.
More than 5,000 registered users at hundreds of universities, nonprofit research organizations and for‑profit companies around the world are using the tool. As of March 2026, researchers have analyzed more than 1.7 million files using DECODR®. Together, this independent review and widespread adoption establish the program as a leading standard for measuring CRISPR editing outcomes in research.
“DECODR® was created to solve a very real problem for researchers who need to measure CRISPR edits accurately and at scale,” said Pawel Bialk, associate director of technology development at the Gene Editing Institute and chief technology officer at DECODR, Inc. “Seeing it independently validated in top journals and used by thousands of researchers across academia and industry, from gene therapy and biotech to agriculture and animal model development, shows that the tool is meeting a critical need and helping move the field forward.”
A breakthrough that started with a student
DECODR® was developed in 2019 when Rohan Kanchana, then a high school junior at Newark Charter School, joined the Gene Editing Institute as an intern. Working under the mentorship of Kmiec and alongside institute scientists, Kanchana tackled a major challenge in CRISPR research: slow, error‑prone data analysis.
During his internship, Kanchana built the first version of the program. What started as a student project quickly became a widely used research tool through a formal collaboration with the Gene Editing Institute.
“DECODR® exists because scientists at the institute took mentorship seriously and trusted a young person with a real problem,” said Kanchana. “It’s exciting to help lead a company that started right here in Delaware and now supports researchers around the world.”
After graduating from MIT in 2025 with a degree in physics, he returned to Delaware and now serves as chief software engineer and a director of DECODR, Inc.
Forming DECODR, Inc. with a dedicated team will allow for accelerated improvement of new features and benefits, commercial support and long‑term development of the software program, while reaching even more scientists around the world.
For more information, visit the DECODR, Inc. website.
Contacts
Bill Schmitt
wschmitt@christianacare.org
302-327-3318
