An In Vivo CRISPR Screening Platform for Prioritizing Therapeutic Targets in AML.

Cancer Discov
Authors
Abstract

CRISPR-Cas9-based genetic screens have successfully identified cell type-dependent liabilities in cancer, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a devastating hematologic malignancy with poor overall survival. Because most of these screens have been performed using established cell lines, evaluating the physiologic relevance of these targets is critical. We have established a CRISPR screening approach using orthotopic xenograft models to validate and prioritize AML-enriched dependencies , including in CRISPR-competent AML patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models tractable for genome editing. Our integrated pipeline has revealed several targets with translational value, including as a metabolic vulnerability for AML addicted to exogenous myo-inositol and as a critical guardian to prevent apoptosis in AML. MARCH5 repression enhanced the efficacy of BCL2 inhibitors such as venetoclax, further highlighting the clinical potential of targeting in AML. Our study provides a valuable strategy for discovery and prioritization of new candidate AML therapeutic targets. SIGNIFICANCE: There is an unmet need to improve the clinical outcome of AML. We developed an integrated screening approach to prioritize and validate AML dependencies with high translational potential. We identified as a metabolic vulnerability and as a critical apoptosis regulator in AML, both of which represent novel therapeutic opportunities..

Year of Publication
2022
Journal
Cancer Discov
Volume
12
Issue
2
Pages
432-449
Date Published
2022 Feb
ISSN
2159-8290
DOI
10.1158/2159-8290.CD-20-1851
PubMed ID
34531254
PubMed Central ID
PMC8831447
Links
Grant list
K99 CA263161 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
P50 CA206963 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
R35 CA210030 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
R50 CA211404 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
S10 OD023410 / OD / NIH HHS / United States