welcome to the najm lab!
We deploy molecular tools to systematically discover critical targets of human health, immunology and cancer.
Genome engineering. We use innovative tools to perform an array of broad and highly specific tests on the genome. We have used CRISPR interference to repress genes through conventional (promoter) and non-conventional (enhancer) targeting. CRISPR base editors have allowed us to alter specific DNA bases to implicate single DNA bases.
Machine learning predictions. Neural networks trained on DNA sequence and accessibility allow us to proactively predict targets, providing a complementary approach to wet-lab target discovery.
Technology development. We develop new techniques and approaches to perturb and decode complex biological networks. Among our contributions are a system for high throughput combinatorial CRISPR-Cas9 for cancer targets and approaches for “more-from-less” screens where clever experimental designs yield results 10-fold cheaper and faster.
This is an unprecedented time of genomic tool discovery, enabling opportunities we could only dream of a few years ago!
