Kenneth Chang

Loss-of-function genetics has proven essential for interrogating the functions of genes and for probing their roles within the complex circuitry of biological pathways. Kenneth Chang developed genetic approaches for perturbing genes using shRNAs (RNAi), optimized the effectiveness of these shRNA designs, and created shRNA infrastructure and resources for genetic screens in mammalian cells. These resources include shRNA libraries modeled after microRNAs (miRNAs) and algorithms for predicting highly potent shRNA designs. Dr. Chang has performed many genetic screens in cancer cells and has expanded his research to include a significant focus on CRISPR technologies and their applications. The lab’s goal is to leverage these technologies to promote a deeper understanding of cancer pathways and dependencies, with the potential for discovery of new therapeutic targets and generation of disease-relevant models for improving human health. As the Director of the Functional Genomics Shared Resource, Dr. Chang and his lab also provide access to advanced RNAi/CRISPR technologies, construction of custom RNAi/CRISPR libraries, and assists in the design and implementation of genetic screens to support research programs at CSHL and the scientific community.