RNA interference (RNAi) is a process of double-stranded RNA-dependent post-transcriptional gene silencing. It has become the most powerful and widely used strategy for genetic analysis based on the highly specific and efficient silencing of target genes. RNAi library screens have recently gained much attention from many researchers resulting in the publication of multiple whole-genome short interfering RNA (siRNA) screens in various biological systems. Although extremely powerful, one major shortcoming of current siRNA screens is the inherent risk of off-target effects, leading to high false positive rates.
We are developing ‘next-generation’ lentiviral shRNA libraries that solve many problems existing in current RNAi screens and we exploit these libraries in multiple biological screenings in the lab. In general, our screens are geared towards dissecting and understanding various aspects of small RNA biology.