Poster #012
CRISPR-Cas9 Mediated Knockout of CD33 and CD19 in Hematologic Malignancies
Mentors: Anagha Deshpande, PhD , Marlenne Perales MSc ; Aniruddha J Deshpande, PhD
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) are both hematopoietic malignancies that are characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal white blood cells. The surface proteins CD33 in AML and CD19 in BL are markers that are commonly expressed in these cancers and play key roles in the progression of the disease and therapeutic targeting. In this study, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing was used to investigate effects of knocking out CD33 in the MOLM-13 AML cell line and CD19 in the P493-6 BL cell line. To accomplish this, we designed guide RNAs (gRNAs) targeting CD33, CD19, and AAVS1 (a safe harbor locus used as a control), and delivered them using lentiviral vectors into malignant cells that already expressed Cas9. Afterwards, the phenotypic and functional consequences of gene knockout were assessed. This approach revealed the roles of CD33 and CD19 in malignant cell behavior and informed potential strategies for targeted therapy.