Brian Kang (FRAENKEL & FARHI LABS)

Pooled Optical Proteomic Profiling Platform to Study Huntington’s Disease Pathways

Human genetics have revealed potential modifiers of Huntington’s disease (HD), but mechanisms by which they act on HD pathophysiology remain unclear. To characterize their functions systematically, we used a network model for choosing genetic targets, performed pooled CRISPRi knockdown, and developed an image-based profiling method to understand how they function together. Utilizing our assay’s deep phenotyping we recovered many known gene-gene interactions and nominated potential therapeutic targets for HD.

Catherine Della Santina (BOYDEN & BOYER LABS)

Characterizing High Refractive Index Proteins as Optical Tools

Light microscopy has uniquely enabled many areas of biological research due to its spatial precision, signal specificity, minimal invasiveness, and high temporal resolution. However, it remains challenging to observe intact living systems at depths beyond a few hundred microns due to optical scattering caused by refractive index inhomogeneities in biological tissue. Here, we investigate a family of high refractive index proteins for their potential to alter the optical properties of cells and ultimately manipulate bulk light passage in a 3D context.