This application note demonstrates the capability of cell-free linear DNA in gene editing applications that typically require plasmid DNA. Our study describes a streamlined method for characterizing CRISPR-Cas systems using Elegen’s long, linear DNA templates to co-express the multiprotein Cascade complex from Escherichia coli and guide RNA (gRNA) using a leading cell-free transcription-translation (TXTL) system manufactured by Daicel Arbor Biosciences .