Genome Engineering Lab

Life Sciences University of Westminster Genome engineering, the introduction of desirable changes in the genome of living cells using CRISPR-Cas9 has fundamentally transformed biomedical sciences in characterization and treatment of human diseases. The major goal of the Genome Engineering Lab at the University of Westminster is to train and develop young researchers in the methods and theoretical knowledge necessary to investigate complex problems of molecular and cellular biology using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. The current key projects that apply the CRISPR-Cas9 tool involve:

1) Generation and characterization of novel cellular models of newly identified cancer driver genes to help researchers address the molecular basis of various cancers and to understand how specific disease phenotypes are regulated;

2) More than 200 proteins are involved in DNA damage repair (DDR) and inactivation of DDR leads to accumulation of disease inducing genomic aberrations. Utilizing CRISPR technology we create models to have a better idea of molecular networks of genes in normal conditions and during the occurrence of cancer specific mutations/alterations. We aim at identifying novel targets for development of inhibitors targeting dysregulated molecules essential for cancer cells survival.

About Genome Lab