Identification of Ru-based PDT resistance mechanisms by CRISPR/Cas9 screen in HNSCC

This project provides an in-depth knowledge of the mode of action of novel designed Ruthenium photodynamic therapy (PDT) complex, and provides information about how head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) cells resist to these treatments. To obtain a comprehensive view of the molecular bases of Ru-based photocytotoxicity in HNSCC, we performed a genome-wide randomly knock-out clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 screen. The comparison of sequencing data from treated and non-treated conditions will identify deleted sequences in challenged SQ20B cells by next-generation sequencing (NGS). We have identified HSPE1 gene is associated to resistance mechanisms induced by RuII-based PDT treatment. Further investigation of the candidate gene on apoptosis induction through gain- and loss- of function assays. In this study, we employed a genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screen to decipher molecular response mechanisms of Ru-based PDT in HNSCC cells.