Methods and models of screening genomic variants

Genomes are the basis of human biology and human disease. Understanding the role of each gene on a healthy or diseased phenotype requires an intervention to causally link between genotype and phenotype. Advances in RNA-guided endonucleases have enabled such pooled screens in human cells. I first con...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Frangieh, Chris J.
Other Authors: Zhang, Feng
Format: Thesis
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2023
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/152824
Description
Summary:Genomes are the basis of human biology and human disease. Understanding the role of each gene on a healthy or diseased phenotype requires an intervention to causally link between genotype and phenotype. Advances in RNA-guided endonucleases have enabled such pooled screens in human cells. I first consider a model to understand drivers of immune evasion in a pooled knockout screen conducted in an in vitro model of metastatic melanoma. Next, I discuss strategies for scaling these screens to encompass a larger set of genes from the human genome. Finally, I explore how next-generation genome editors can move beyond knockout screens to identify the biological role of any sequence at any location in the human genome.