CRISPR activation as a platform to identify interferon stimulated genes with anti-viral function.

Interferon Stimulated Gene (ISG) expression plays a key role in the control of viral replication and development of a robust adaptive response. Understanding this dynamic relationship between the pathogen and host is critical to our understanding of viral life-cycles and development of potential novel anti-viral strategies. Traditionally, plasmid based exogenous prompter driven expression of ISGs has been used to investigate anti-viral ISG function, however there are deficiencies in this approach.