Kosuke Yusa

Kosuke Yusa has been a pioneer in applying genome-wide CRISPR screens to systematically identify mechanisms of cancer drug resistance, performing some of the earliest comprehensive CRISPR loss-of-function screens using optimized single-guide RNA libraries. His laboratory has mapped resistance mechanisms to targeted therapies including BRAF inhibitors, EGFR inhibitors, and PARP inhibitors by screening for genes whose loss confers drug resistance in cancer cell lines. He developed improved CRISPR library design principles that increased screen sensitivity and reproducibility. His work connecting CRISPR screen discoveries to clinical drug resistance observations has validated the approach for predicting therapeutic escape mechanisms.