Innovative CRISPR technology discovers genes that alter the tumor microenvironment and is expected to provide new anti-cancer targets

Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of cancer by activating the cancer-fighting abilities of immune cells

By systematically knocking out individual genes in cells, CRISPR screens have made outstanding contributions to helping scientists understand how genes regulate physiological processes within cells

In this study, a team of researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai used a CRISPR screening technique called Perturb-map to simultaneously knock out dozens of different genes in a mouse model of lung cancer, then used histology and spatial transcriptomics.

The study found that in tumors knocked out of Tgfbr2, the tumor microenvironment transformed into a state of rejection of T cells, while the expression of TGFβ in fibroblasts increased

▲ This research illustration (picture source: Reference [1])

"Perturb-map allows us to discover, on an unprecedented scale, the specific genes that control the tumor microenvironment

References:

[1] Novel CRISPR imaging technology reveals genes controlling tumor immunity.

[2] Dhainaut et al.