Atti English (COLLINS LAB)

Engineering CRISPR-associated Transposons to Re-wire and Control Natural and Synthetic Gene Networks

Transposons have played an important dual role in both the evolution of gene regulatory networks, and as tools in their functional characterisation. The recent discovery of CRISPR-associated transposons and their subsequent establishment as RNA-guided integrases has expanded this toolbox. We present preliminary efforts to engineer these transposons for titratable transcriptional control, reporter delivery, and network re-wiring towards their use in genetic screens and synthetic gene networks.

Tomer Zohar (LAUFFENBURGER & ALTER LABS)

Development of SARS-CoV-2 Humoral Immunity Across Disease Severity

During the height of the pandemic, there was an urgent need to understand the role of the antibody response against SARS-CoV-2, and to ultimately inform vaccine design. Therefore, the early development of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody characteristics and mediated functions in a cohort 193 hospitalized individuals ranging from moderately to critically ill were compressively profiled. These data highlight distinct humoral trajectories associated with resolution of infection and the need for early functional humoral immunity.