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CHI’s Announcement on Session Spotlight:  COMPLEMENTARY USE OF RNAi AND GENE EDITING

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

13th Annual DIscovery on Target, September 21-24, 2015 | Westin Boston Waterfront | Boston, MA

Session Spotlight:

COMPLEMENTARY USE OF RNAi AND GENE EDITING

Pooled shRNA, Arrayed siRNA and CRISPR-Cas9: Three Essential Tools towards Understanding Gene Function in Cancer and Disease Biology

Ralph Garippa, Ph.D., Director, RNAi Core Facility, Sloan-Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

The addition of CRISPR-Cas9 systems to the incumbent technologies of arrayed siRNA and pooled shRNA have created an unparalleled gene perturbation toolbox for investigators to deploy. Specific examples, published and unpublished, of each of these types of experimental designs will attest to the power of these endeavors, particularly for cancer biology. Respective strengths and weaknesses of each technology will be presented.

Parallel shRNA and CRISPR/Cas9 Screens Reveal Biology of Stress Pathways and Identify Novel Drug Targets

Michael Bassik, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics, Stanford University

We have developed high-complexity shRNA libraries (25 shRNAs/gene) that greatly reduce false negatives/false positives, and have adapted these libraries to knock down gene pairs to perform systematic genetic interaction maps in mammalian cells. We have used these maps to study ER-trafficking toxins, and identified novel protein complexes as well as insights into retrograde trafficking. We are now using this strategy together with the CRISPR/Cas9 system to study stress signaling and identify novel drug targets.

TECHNOLOGY PANEL: Finding the Right Functional Genomics Tool to Address Your Biological Question

Panelists:
– Louise Baskin, Senior Product Manager, GE Healthcare Dharmacon, Inc.
– Neil Emans, Ph.D., CEO, Persomics USA, Inc.
– Shawn Shafer, Ph.D., Market Segment Manager, Functional Genomics, Sigma-Aldrich
– To be Announced, Thermo Fisher Scientific
– Gwen Fewell, Ph.D., Chief Commercial Officer, transOMIC technologies inc.
– Paul Diehl, Ph.D., Director, Business Development, Cellecta, Inc.

This panel will bring together 4-5 technical experts from leading technology and service companies to discuss screening trends and improvements in assay platforms and reagents that users can expect to see in the near future.

Screening the Kinome: Lessons from Using Functional Screens in Glioblastoma Stem Cells

Brent Cochran, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Developmental, Molecular and Chemical Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine

It is possible to isolate and maintain in culture glioblastoma cell lines with stem cell properties. We have conducted shRNA screens of three different GBM stem cell lines in both arrayed and pooled screening format for growth and survival of these cells, under normoxia and hypoxia. We have found that there are considerable differences in the kinase requirements between these cell lines. These results argue for a personalized therapeutic strategy for glioblastoma.

From Model Systems to Mammalian Applications: Learning from Functional Genomics Analyses in Drosophila

Stephanie Mohr, Ph.D., Lecturer, Genetics & Director of the Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School

Drosophila cell and in vivo systems are exemplary platforms for functional genomics. We have developed algorithms for the design of RNAi and CRISPR reagents; platforms for efficient RNAi reagent production; and mature methods for large-scale screening and data analysis. Our workflows for CRISPR knockout and RNAi screens in human disease-relevant sensitized backgrounds will be discussed. Emphasis will be given to approaches, algorithms and analyses relevant to mammalian systems.

New Frontiers in Gene Editing

Also at Discovery On Target

New Frontiers in Gene Editing will bring together experts from all aspects of basic science and clinical research to talk about how and where gene editing can be best applied. What are the different tools that can be used for gene editing, and what are their strengths and limitations? How does the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)/Cas system, compare to Transcription Activator-like Effector Nucleases (TALENs), zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and other systems and where are they being used?

Developing CRISPR-Based Therapies

After its rapid rise to fame as an efficient, easy-to-use research tool, the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)/Cas system, is now being scrutinized for its therapeutic applications. This inaugural one-day symposium on a Developing CRISPR-Based Therapies will bring together experts from the lab and the clinic to talk about the future of CRISPR-based therapies. How does this system work in vivo and where can it be best applied? How does it compare to transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and other systems in terms of strengths and limitations? Scientists and clinicians from pharma/biotech as well as from academic and government labs will share their experiences leveraging this technology and discuss potential opportunities and obvious pitfalls.

SOURCE

From: Discovery on Target <heidio@healthtech.com>

Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2015 at 1:00 PM

To: Aviva Lev-Ari <AvivaLev-Ari@alum.berkeley.edu>

Subject: Exploring Gene Editing, RNAi: Applications & Technologies