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Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Genome-wide RNAi Screening to Identify Host Factors That Modulate Oncolytic Virus Therapy
Published on: April 3, 2018
Elucidating genes sufficient for viral entry into cells through sequential genome-wide CRISPR activation screens
Timothy Chai1, Alicia Wong1, Qingqing Yin1
1Institute for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine, Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
None:
A preeminent goal of virology is to discover cellular genes that mediate virus entry. Genome-wide loss-of-function screens can illuminate single genes necessary for virus entry, but are stymied by genetic redundancy. Here we report a genome-wide CRISPR activation screening strategy to discover single genes that are sufficient for viral entry into normally-uninfectable cells. Sequential rounds of viral infection vastly enhanced screening sensitivity. This sequential screening strategy was generalizable to two unrelated viruses-Ebola and rabies viruses-and could broadly accelerate the discovery of viral entry factors.
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