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By now, you must have heard of CRISPR. That new technique with which you can not just fully knock out genes, but also insert genes at specific places and repair genes exactly how you want. CRISPR screens are much more unknown. is one of the lucky researchers that uses these screens in her PhD. This technique uses CRISPR to identify which genes are responsible for a certain behavior in your cells. The goal of the project is to identify which human genes are affected by the human herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1).

Investigating HSV1 using CRISPR screens

The consist of making a lot of random mutations with CRISPR to knock out genes in your cells. In the case of Shuxuan, her cells are then infected with HSV1 and screened for how well the cells stay alive.  “We then identify interesting hits based on how well the cell is protected from infection”. These genes are studied in more detail with other experimental assays to identify the function of the gene during infection and how the protein may interact with HSV1. “Eventually you want to see if knocking out that gene can reduce or even clear the infection”.

A CRISPR screen is just a tool like any other tool. You can apply it to many different subjects, but you first have to know what you want to figure out

On the question if we should emphasize CRISPR screens more than ‘old school’ pipetting and choosing interesting targets, she answers that “a CRISPR screen is just a tool like any other tool. You can apply it to many different subjects, but you first have to know what you want to figure out.” Therefore, if it is easier to answer your research question with other experimental assays it is not necessary to create all the extra data coming from a CRISPR screen. Therefore, CRISPR screens probably won’t steal our job at the moment.

Getting a Nobel Prize

Once you are infected, HSV1 will stay lifelong latent in the body. Ultimately Shuxuan wants to find out how the virus is able to achieve that, and laughs, “if I can figure that out I’m probably going to get a Nobel!”. However, she also says that latency is “a small part of the virus, and the virus is a small part of the life sciences. You are just doing your part, it’s not a one persons’ job!”