CRISPR Screening, TCR / BCR sequencing, and other approaches for drug target and biomarker discovery
Spotlight Theatre D, Monday, April 28, 2025, 3:00-4:00 p.m.
McCormick Place Convention Center

Introductory Remarks: An overview of Cellecta technologies 
Paul Diehl, PhD, COO, Cellecta

Speaker 1: Eugenio Morelli, MD, Assistant Professor, University of Torino. Group Leader, Laboratory for RNA Translational Research, Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS
Title: Functional transcriptomics for isoform level dissection of lncRNA cancer dependencies

CRISPR-Cas13d screening reveals widespread lncRNA dependencies in tumors. Our IsoScan platform deciphers their isoform-specific functions, identifying key oncogenic drivers and exposing critical therapeutic vulnerabilities for precision oncology.

Speaker 2: Alex Chenchik, PhD, President & Chief Scientific Officer, Cellecta 

Title: A practical guide for adaptive immune receptor repertoire profiling and the characterization of antigen-induced clonotypes with applications in vaccine development, autoimmunity, and cancer

T-cell receptor (TCR) and B-cell receptor (BCR) sequencing, also referred to as adaptive immune receptor (AIR) repertoire profiling, holds great potential for the understanding of disease mechanisms and the development of new treatments in infectious disease, autoimmunity, and immuno-oncology. This potential could be greatly improved by combining information about T- and B-cell receptor clonotypes with immunophenotypes of these cells. We will provide an overview of AIR profiling technology platforms, practical recommendations for selecting experimental samples, and best practices for generating and subsequently running bioinformatic analysis of the quantitative repertoire profiling data.  We will discuss potential strategies for when to use bulk, cell fractions, and single-cell analysis for the discovery, validation, and immunophenotyping of antigen-activated clonotypes as well as some relevant applications in different disease areas, including cancer.