Linyi Gao (ZHANG LAB)

Enhancing the CRISPR-Cas Genome Engineering Toolbox

Targeted genome editing using microbial CRISPR-Cas systems has enabled a broad range of applications in research and medicine. However, naturally-occurring Cas enzymes that have been harnessed for use in eukaryotic cells have a number of significant drawbacks, including the potential for off-target DNA mutagenesis or a restricted targeting range. This talk explores some recent developments in the use of structure-guided and directed evolution-based protein engineering of Cas enzymes as a novel method to address these concerns.

Manu Kumar (LAUFFENBURGER LAB)

Environment-mediated Drug resistance Mechanisms in the Liver Tumor Microenvironment

Human cancers in vivo do not exist as homogeneous collections of cancer cells, but rather as heterocellular systems containing a mixture of cell types that form the tumor microenvironment (TME). Interactions between cancer cells and the TME have been shown to alter the response to chemotherapeutics by activating pro-survival signaling pathways. The goal of this work is to identify specific molecular and cellular components of the liver microenvironment, a common site of breast cancer metastasis, that contribute to chemotherapeutic resistance.