Abstract 2945: Using pooled minimal genome-wide sgRNA libraries to drive oncology drug discovery

Abstract The emergence of CRISPR technologies has enabled rapid and precise gene editing opportunities. The Functional Genomics Centre (FGC) - a joint venture between Cancer Research UK’s (CRUK) drug discovery engine, Cancer Research Horizons, and AstraZeneca has been launched to better utilize and improve the CRISPR technology within cancer research. The FGC leverages the strengths of both CRUK’s and AstraZeneca’s world-class oncology research and drug discovery experience, with the potential to drive scientific innovation in how new drug targets are identified and validated, and uniquely democratize access to the latest cutting-edge research tools and expertise for many thousands of scientists and clinicians funded by CRUK. Here, we will showcase how the FGC is leading the development and refinement of functional genomics technologies. Through independent evaluation of publicly available CRISPR tools and leveraging this data we have designed optimized, minimal genome-wide CRISPR libraries. These libraries permit a reduction of the experimental scale of CRISPR screens by 50% and enable our Target Discovery platform to impact more projects, faster, at a lower cost and importantly - more sustainably. Citation Format: Sebastian Lukasiak, Alex Kalinka, Nikhil Gupta, Khalid Saeed, Angelos Papadopoulos, Ultan McDermott, Gregory J. Hannon, Douglas Ross-Thriepland, David Walter. Using pooled minimal genome-wide sgRNA libraries to drive oncology drug discovery [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 2945.