Dr. Michael Böttcher

In my current position I use CRISPR screens to understand which genes contribute to resistance against targeted cancer therapies. For this purpose, I employ 3D organoid cultures derived from metastatic colorectal carcinoma (mCRC) patient tumors, which resemble the original tumor more faithfully than classic 2D cell cultures. The ultimate goal is, to identify gene signatures that can serve as biomarkers to predict the response of individual mCRC patients to a given targeted therapy before treatment.

In my postdoc position in the laboratory of Dr. Michael McManus at UCSF Medical Center, I analyzed the function of thousands of genes in parallel. For this purpose I developed pooled, large-scale CRISPR/Cas libraries for the simultaneous activation and knockout of genes in the same cell. I applied this orthogonal screening technology to identify genes and genetic interactions that play crucial roles in cancer therapy resistance.

In my first Postdoc position, I continued with the work on pooled RNAi screens which I had started as a PhD student in the laboratory of Dr. Jörg Hoheisel. As a sub-group leader within the Division of Functional Genome Analysis, I worked on my own projects and in parallel I successfully supervised numerous graduate as well as undergraduate students. In all projects we employed genome-wide pooled RNAi screens for the identification of targets relevant for the treatment of cancer.

Molecular Biology of Cancer

Plant Molecular Biology