“We wanted to uncover what lies ‘beneath the iceberg’ by taking an unbiased approach to identify novel targets that may have previously been unrecognized”
In a recent landmark study, researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center reported the development of the first genome-wide CRISPR screening platform for primary human natural killer (NK) cells [1]. The platform, termed PreCiSE, was pioneered under the mentorship of Dr Katy Rezvani, Vice President & Head, Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and co-led by Alexander Biederstädt, now Junior Group Leader, Technical University of Munich, and Dr Rafet Basar, MD Anderson Cancer Center. In this interview, Abigail Pinchbeck, Editor, BioInsights, speaks with Dr Biederstädt about how PreCiSE enabled the identification and validation of novel genetic targets that enhance NK cell persistence, proliferation, and antitumor activity, and how these discoveries could be translated to inform the design of next-generation NK cell therapies.
