Modular pooled discovery of synthetic knockin sequences to program durable cell therapies.

Chronic stimulation can cause T cell dysfunction and limit the efficacy of cellular immunotherapies. Improved methods are required to compare large numbers of synthetic knockin (KI) sequences to reprogram cell functions. Here, we developed modular pooled KI screening (ModPoKI), an adaptable platform for modular construction of DNA KI libraries using barcoded multicistronic adaptors.

Robust T cell activation requires an eIF3-driven burst in T cell receptor translation.

Activation of T cells requires a rapid surge in cellular protein synthesis. However, the role of translation initiation in the early induction of specific genes remains unclear. Here, we show human translation initiation factor eIF3 interacts with select immune system related mRNAs including those encoding the T cell receptor (TCR) subunits TCRA and TCRB.

Test performance evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 serological assays.

Background: Serological tests are crucial tools for assessments of SARS-CoV-2 exposure, infection and potential immunity. Their appropriate use and interpretation require accurate assay performance data.

Method: We conducted an evaluation of 10 lateral flow assays (LFAs) and two ELISAs to detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

Pooled Knockin Targeting for Genome Engineering of Cellular Immunotherapies.

Adoptive transfer of genetically modified immune cells holds great promise for cancer immunotherapy. CRISPR knockin targeting can improve cell therapies, but more high-throughput methods are needed to test which knockin gene constructs most potently enhance primary cell functions in vivo. We developed a widely adaptable technology to barcode and track targeted integrations of large non-viral DNA templates and applied it to perform pooled knockin screens in primary human T cells.

Polymer-stabilized Cas9 nanoparticles and modified repair templates increase genome editing efficiency.

Versatile and precise genome modifications are needed to create a wider range of adoptive cellular therapies. Here we report two improvements that increase the efficiency of CRISPR-Cas9-based genome editing in clinically relevant primary cell types. Truncated Cas9 target sequences (tCTSs) added at the ends of the homology-directed repair (HDR) template interact with Cas9 ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) to shuttle the template to the nucleus, enhancing HDR efficiency approximately two- to fourfold.

Large dataset enables prediction of repair after CRISPR-Cas9 editing in primary T cells.

Understanding of repair outcomes after Cas9-induced DNA cleavage is still limited, especially in primary human cells. We sequence repair outcomes at 1,656 on-target genomic sites in primary human T cells and use these data to train a machine learning model, which we have called CRISPR Repair Outcome (SPROUT). SPROUT accurately predicts the length, probability and sequence of nucleotide insertions and deletions, and will facilitate design of SpCas9 guide RNAs in therapeutically important primary human cells.