siRNA screening is a powerful experimental approach for drug target identification and validation. A significant fraction of our lab is dedicated to high-throughput screening of mammalian cells, with a focus on uncovering pathways relating to noncoding RNA function. While we are largely using genomic-scale lentiviral RNAi libraries for our endeavors, we are also using a whole genome siRNA library.
For several reasons, siRNA libraries provide a complimentary reagent to pooled lentiviral libraries. RNA interference protocols are performed in 96 or 384 well plates, and we use robotics associated with the UCSF Small Molecules Discovery Center. The success of siRNA experiments depends on the robustness of the protocols applied and reproducibility of the experimental procedure. We are experts in this area and have several exciting projects underway, largely looking at aspects of small RNA biology, but also investigating the regulation of gene expression in pathways related to human disease.