John Christopher Thomas

Loss of CTLH component MAEA impairs DNA repair and replication and leads to developmental delay

The paper identifies MAEA as a critical regulator of DNA repair and replication, with loss of function causing developmental delay and neurodevelopmental deficits.

Genome-aware annotation of CRISPR guides validates targets in variant cell lines and enhances discovery in screens

The paper introduces Exorcise, a tool to reannotate CRISPR libraries to user-defined genomes, improving targeting accuracy and reducing bias in screens.

An organoid CRISPRi screen revealed that SOX9 primes human fetal lung tip progenitors to receive WNT and RTK signals

The paper uses a CRISPRi screen in human fetal lung organoids to identify SOX9 as a key regulator of progenitor self-renewal, showing it primes cells to receive WNT and RTK signals.

Parallel CRISPR-Cas9 screens clarify impacts of p53 on screen performance

The paper assesses how p53 status affects CRISPR-Cas9 screen performance by comparing wild-type and TP53 knockout cells, showing that optimal design can still yield reliable results.