ZeBlast team members have a long track record in genome editing, zebrafish and leukemia biology, as well as clinical and histological diagnoses and management of blood cancer patients.  It will adopt an algorithmic and systematic approach thereby novel therapeutics targeting different blood cancers and their mechanisms of action can be identified at high throughput.

Cumulative experience showed that perturbation of multiple rather than single mutant genes is essential to the induction of blood cancer phenotypes.  We have established protocols of genome editing, including transposon-mediated transgenesis, CRISPR/Cas9 and TALEN based on which blood cancer phenotypes can be stably induced.

Reporter transgenic zebrafish in which different blood lineages are shown by distinct fluorescent signals, has been established.  This multi-colour “rainbow” fish will be instrumental for high throughput drug and genetic screening.

Furthermore, our Team has the expertise to evaluate blood cancer phenotypes including histopathologic and cytochemical examination, flow cytometry as well as single cell transcriptome and transplantation.

The unique constellation of expertise and skillsets will allow us to generate adult zebrafish and their embryos carrying human blood cancer transgenes or knockouts in combinations, with clinical and pathologic features characteristic of human diseases.