Event Details

OKRA Forum: Ranjit Singh Atwal

Thu, Dec 05, 2024
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Speaker: Ranjit Singh Atwal, Moderna Global Fellow and Research Assistant Professor in Kelley Laboratories at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Talk Title: LeaPFrog: Highly Scalable Cell Profiling for Druggable Target Discovery and Therapeutics Development

Abstract: Registration is required for this event: https://northwestern.zoom.us/webinar/register/8017315250267/WN_6P8qnb64Qn-VQM84m3tbXA
Large-scale genetic perturbation and cell profiling technologies have revolutionized the field of molecular biology and has the potential to transform many aspects of healthcare and biotechnology in the coming decade. Nowadays, CRISPR/Cas9-based genome-scale functional genetic screens are being routinely used to identify key genetic regulators of a phenotype of interest. However, the identification of genetic modifications that lead to a phenotypic change requires sorting large numbers of cells, which increases operational times and costs and often limits cell viability. To fully realize the potential of whole-genome CRISPR screening, advances in high-throughput cell sorting technologies are needed. Over the last 5 years, our research group has developed the use of immunomagnetic cell sorting facilitated by microfluidic chips as a rapid and scalable screening platform (termed LeaPFroG) for efficiently and accurately analyzing large numbers of CRISPR-edited cells. I will present how we have leveraged the high-throughput cell sorting capabilities of our LeaPFroG platform as a discovery engine to identify and validate novel checkpoint inhibitors for modulating tumor cell/immune cell interactions and elucidating allele-specific functional regulators of previously undruggable proteins. Lastly, I will outline how the experiences and lessons from these functional studies are being applied to the identification of cellular determinants impacting the mesangial cells in IgA Nephropathy.

Biography: Dr. Ranjit Singh Atwal is a Moderna Global Fellow and Research Assistant Professor in Kelley Laboratories at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics. Dr. Atwal received his Ph.D. from McMaster University (Canada) and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Genomic Medicine and faculty member at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. His research investigations are focused on expanding the use of large-scale phenotypic screening technologies to address unmet needs across diverse biological realms. Current research investigations include the identification of functional regulators of undruggable proteins, rare-cell enrichment based in vivo phenotypic CRISPR screening to identify genetic regulators of metastasis and the use of tissue-selective delivery systems for therapeutic genome editing applications. He is also a founding scientist of a pre-seed startup focused on translating findings at the bench towards the development of targeted therapeutics. As part of the NU-OKRA/NUGokidney Resource Development Core, he is supporting the adaptation of the LeaPFroG platform to enable rapid enrichment of disease-relevant population of kidney cells to empower functional studies to better understand the mechanisms of kidney disease.

Host: Northwestern University & University of Southern California George M. O'Brien Kidney Resource Center

More Info: https://northwestern.zoom.us/webinar/register/8017315250267/WN_6P8qnb64Qn-VQM84m3tbXA

Webcast: https://northwestern.zoom.us/webinar/register/8017315250267/WN_6P8qnb64Qn-VQM84m3tbXA