CRISPR Human Knockout Screens Identify New Target for ALS

A team at Stanford University School of Medicine has used CRISPR/Cas9 technology to gain new insights into the genes that might represent new targets for the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Led by Aaron Gitler, Ph.D., professor of genetics, and Michael Bassik, Ph.D., assistant professor of genetics, the team applied CRISPR/Cas9 knockout (KO) screens in human cells and in primary mouse neurons to identify genes that promote or prevent toxicity of the abnormal ALS pr