Genome-Scale CRISPR Screens: Strategies to Prioritise and Validate Potential Targets, New Webinar Hosted by Xtalks

TORONTO, September 14, 2018 (Newswire.com) - Extracting the most relevant biological data from such studies can seem daunting but, with the correct strategy, can be incredibly rewarding.

Drug discovery is a challenging process that is often hindered by inefficient target identification. Functional genomics has the potential to advance target identification strategies that are crucial to overcoming current limitations in oncology drug development processes. Wellcome Sanger Institute researchers have performed genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screening in 204 human cancer cell lines from 12 cancer-types and developed a data-driven framework to prioritize cancer therapeutic candidates.

This live webinar upcoming on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018, at 11 a.m. EDT (4 p.m. BST/UK) will describe the logic behind this framework including criteria used and also describe alternative metrics that could be included. Using published datasets, they assessed the current tractability of the target and included this in the candidate selection process.

Following the identification of the top candidate targets, key experimental verification and validation steps are required. In this webinar, our featured speaker will describe strategies to use published data to verify true positive hits, as well as experimental approaches. Selection of appropriate cellular models to carry out verification and validation experiments is an important factor to consider. The speaker will highlight cell models that are available and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each system. Key factors to consider include verification of the target using independent reagents or technologies. Understanding the mechanism of action or functionality of the target in a model system is integral to assessing the suitability of a target to enter a drug development program. Revealing the cellular processes altered by perturbation of the target will indicate if cell death is induced, or if a reduction in cellular fitness reduces or halts cell growth.

Join our featured speaker Fiona Behan, Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, for an insightful and interactive discussion.

For more information about this complimentary event, visit Genome-Scale CRISPR Screens: Strategies to Prioritise and Validate Potential Targets.

ABOUT XTALKS

Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers.

To learn more about Xtalks, visit http://xtalks.com.

For information about hosting a webinar, visit http://xtalks.com/why-host-a-webinar/.

Contact:

Nima Rajan​
Tel: +1 (416) 977-6555 ext 352​
​Email: [email protected]

Source: Xtalks