Identification of Functionally Important Enhancers in Kidney Cancer by CRISPR Screening
Abstract
Kidney cancer is largely resistant towards chemo- or radio-therapy. In addition, targeted therapies against kidney cancer still remain limited. Therefore, it is important to identify new therapeutic targets in kidney cancer. We aimed to identify some new therapeutic targets by focusing on a specific genomic region called the enhancer region, which is important for regulating gene expression critical to kidney cancer formation. Our current proposal addresses FY20 KCRP areas of emphasis on chromatin and gene regulation. For this proposal, we will focus on enhancers that appear the most enriched in kidney cancer. We will explore whether getting rid of these enhancers will make kidney cancer cells stop growing in the petri dishes or stop growing tumors in mice. This proposal is based on the knowledge and information we obtained from kidney cancer patients and identifying the most critical enhancers that may be used as therapeutic targets in kidney cancer. The outcome of this research proposal will benefit most of the kidney cancer patients that have abnormalities in these enhancer regions. Our short-term goal is to identify important enhancers and motivate the development of therapeutic intervention to target these enhancers in kidney cancer. Our long-term goal is to develop specific inhibitors for these enhancers or enhancer-regulated genes, therefore improving kidney cancer patient outcomes. The innovative part of our proposal includes the development of a novel screening approach for identifying previously unknown enhancers in kidney cancer tissues.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 05, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2110310
Entities
People
- Qing Zhang
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center