Genomics


More precise and efficient high-throughput gene


editing technologies are playing a key role in these efforts, allowing researchers to knock out genes, study broader mutation profiles and dig deeper into the underlying biology. In the cancer field, high-throughput gene editing tools and sequencing technologies are generating a wealth of informa- tion that is enabling scientists to better understand how biological pathways interact in the disease state. Ultimately, this information may be used to create more effective precision therapies. “Increasingly, gene editing studies aren’t simply


focused on knocking out genes but are also looking at mutation profiles.” Chesnut says, “I think we’ll continue to see a shift to more elegant experiments and to a more systems biology approach. As the complexity of the questions increases, so too will the data sets – so we’re going to need more power- ful tools to be able to analyse that data using bioin- formatics approaches.” CRISPR-Cas9 has rapidly transformed the field


of gene editing, and recent advances in technolo- gy are set to open up an array of new opportuni- ties in drug discovery. Its increased efficiency over previous gene editing tools is helping to deliver more translationally-relevant models and, com- bined with advances in high-throughput technol- ogy, it is enabling genomic screening on an unprecedented scale. These developments could help to accelerate the discovery of new disease targets and speed up the development of safe and effective medicines.


DDW


Using social media to track the hottest trends from AACR 2018


By Helen Stewart-Miller, Director of PR Services and Abby Edwards, Account Manager


T


he American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting will showcase the latest cancer and drug discovery research, alongside a wide range of clinical and patient engagement areas. However, it can


be challenging to pinpoint the most important topics across such a busy and broad meeting (more than 22,000 attendees are expected this year). Social media is a great way to track trends and engage with scientific meet-


ings, whether you are onsite or not: AACR is likely to be no different. As Rick Buck, Senior Director of Communications and Public Relations for the AACR, explains: “We have significantly increased our social media efforts to raise awareness, share information and create dialogues about cancer research. We will use a variety of social media platforms to share, discuss and learn about the latest discoveries and breakthroughs at the meeting.” For the 2018 meeting, the AACR will be active across Twitter (@AACR),


Facebook (www.facebook.com/aacr.org), LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/com- pany/american-association-for-cancer-research), Snapchat (“theaacr”) and – for the first time – Instagram (@aacr_foundation). Videos will be streamed live through Twitter’s Periscope app and Facebook Live; as an example, there is a Facebook Live broadcast with AACR President Dr Michael Caligiuri at 1:30pm CDT on 17 April on the hot science coming out of the meeting. Using hashtags is a good way to find and track key posts during or after any


meeting. Last year, 32,449 tweets featured #AACR17 and we can expect #AACR18 to be just as popular! Following a handful of people using a hashtag (eg those who are relevant to


your area of interest) can help to filter through all these posts. For AACR 2018, Emil Lou from the University of Minnesota (@cancerassassin1), Zeynep Madak-Erdogan from the University of Illinois (@zmadak), Alice Soragni from UCLA (@soragnilab) and, of course, @DDWJournal represent a good place to start. Best of luck to the organisers for another successful AACR meeting!


Dr Paul Avery is Managing Director and Dr Richard Massey is a science writer at BioStrata, a life science specialist marketing agency. The com- pany’s growing team in Cambridge (UK) and Boston (US) includes a significant number of peo- ple with deep scientific experience and knowledge. The agency offers everything from strategy, brand- ing and message development through to content creation, creative services, digital marketing and public relations.


Drug Discovery World Spring 2018 65


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