This article and associated images are based on a poster originally authored by Daniela Flehberger, Sofia Buianova, Emma Langguth, Johanna Irnstorfer, Stefanie Fellinger, Henrik Schmidt, Adam Krejci, Tilmann Buerckstuemmer, Anke Loregger, Lukas Badertscher and Sumit Pawar and presented at ELRIG Drug Discovery 2025 in affiliation with Myllia Biotechnology GmbH.
This poster is being hosted on this website in its raw form, without modifications. It has not undergone peer review but has been reviewed to meet AZoNetwork's editorial quality standards. The information contained is for informational purposes only and should not be considered validated by independent peer assessment.
About Myllia’s VISTA™ platform
Macrophages and dendritic cells are central players in the innate immune system. Their dysregulation is implicated in a wide range of diseases, including autoimmunity, inflammation, cancer, and infectious diseases.
However, novel drug target identification in these cells has been difficult because these cells were - until now - refractory to high-content CRISPR screening approaches. Myllia has solved this problem, developing the Versatile Integrated Screening for Target Analysis – VISTA™ platform, enabling CRISPR screens in primary human myeloid cells.
The platform links CRISPR perturbation to transcriptomic responses, thus providing high-content functional readouts of novel gene targets involved in regulating many processes, including the tumor-immune interface relevant for immuno-oncology.
Here, Myllia presents a pooled CRISPR screen to dissect IFN-γ signaling in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) and dendritic cells (MDCs). Their platform, therefore, enables large-scale CRISPR screens with complex readouts to support drug discovery campaigns.
1. The VISTA™ platform
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Daniela Flehberger et al., in partnership with ELRIG (UK) Ltd.
2. Macrophage polarization mechanisms
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Daniela Flehberger et al., in partnership with ELRIG (UK) Ltd.
3. CRISPRi screens in macrophages
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Daniela Flehberger et al., in partnership with ELRIG (UK) Ltd.
4. Polarization states resolved by scRNA-Seq
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Daniela Flehberger et al., in partnership with ELRIG (UK) Ltd.
5. VISTA™ identifies key macrophage regulators and signatures
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Daniela Flehberger et al., in partnership with ELRIG (UK) Ltd.
6. Perturbations affecting IFN-γ signaling
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Daniela Flehberger et al., in partnership with ELRIG (UK) Ltd.
Conclusions and outlook
- Five positive and 20 negative regulators were identified that modulate M1 polarization via IFN-γ signaling.
- The VISTA™ platform enables pooled CRISPR screens combined with single-cell RNA-Seq in various primary human cell types, including macrophages, dendritic cells, and T cells.
- Key features of Myllia's VISTA™ platform include:
- Unbiased drug target discovery
- Target identification in blood-derived primary human cells
- Targets with a higher chance of translating in vivo.
Myllia is looking for a strategic partner to initiate drug target discovery programs across several disease areas in primary human macrophages and dendritic cells, incl. autoimmune disease, inflammation, and oncology.
About Myllia Biotechnology GmbH
Myllia Biotechnology GmbH employs CROP-seq (Datlinger et al., Nature Methods) to map the effects of genetic perturbations on single-cell transcriptomes, establishing a robust framework for high-content CRISPR screening. This CRISPR-based, high-throughput approach is used to identify novel drug targets, reveal mechanisms of drug action, and explore genetic variants linked to disease risk.
About ELRIG (UK) Ltd.
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Last Updated: Nov 12, 2025