Abstract: Fundamental research to understand how bacteria fight viral infections uncovered the function of CRISPR-Cas programmable proteins that detect and cut specific DNA or RNA sequences. CRISPR technology is now an indispensable tool in human, animal and agricultural research. Furthermore, the FDA’s approval of a CRISPR therapy for sickle cell disease marked the beginning of a new era in healthcare. I will discuss the scientific and societal advances that will expand both the applications and impact of genome editing across the globe.
Dr. Jennifer Doudna was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discovery and development of the CRISPR gene editing method. Previous to that she was a postdoc at CU with Tom Cech working on the origami-like folding of RNA.