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Archive for the ‘CRISPR/Cas9 & Gene Editing’ Category

eProceedings for BIO 2019 International Convention, June 3-6, 2019 Philadelphia Convention Center; Philadelphia PA, Real Time Coverage by Stephen J. Williams, PhD @StephenJWillia2

 

CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

Real Time Coverage of BIO 2019 International Convention, June 3-6, 2019 Philadelphia Convention Center; Philadelphia PA

Reporter: Stephen J. Williams, PhD @StephenJWillia2

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/05/31/real-time-coverage-of-bio-international-convention-june-3-6-2019-philadelphia-convention-center-philadelphia-pa/

 

LECTURES & PANELS

Real Time Coverage @BIOConvention #BIO2019: Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence: Realizing Precision Medicine One Patient at a Time, 6/5/2019, Philadelphia PA

Reporter: Stephen J Williams, PhD @StephenJWillia2

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/06/05/real-time-coverage-bioconvention-bio2019-machine-learning-and-artificial-intelligence-realizing-precision-medicine-one-patient-at-a-time/

 

Real Time Coverage @BIOConvention #BIO2019: Genome Editing and Regulatory Harmonization: Progress and Challenges, 6/5/2019. Philadelphia PA

Reporter: Stephen J Williams, PhD @StephenJWillia2

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/06/05/real-time-coverage-bioconvention-bio2019-genome-editing-and-regulatory-harmonization-progress-and-challenges/

 

Real Time Coverage @BIOConvention #BIO2019: Precision Medicine Beyond Oncology June 5, 2019, Philadelphia PA

Reporter: Stephen J Williams PhD @StephenJWillia2

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/06/05/real-time-coverage-bioconvention-bio2019-precision-medicine-beyond-oncology-june-5-philadelphia-pa/

 

Real Time @BIOConvention #BIO2019:#Bitcoin Your Data! From Trusted Pharma Silos to Trustless Community-Owned Blockchain-Based Precision Medicine Data Trials, 6/5/2019, Philadelphia PA

Reporter: Stephen J Williams, PhD @StephenJWillia2

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/06/05/real-time-bioconvention-bio2019bitcoin-your-data-from-trusted-pharma-silos-to-trustless-community-owned-blockchain-based-precision-medicine-data-trials/

 

Real Time Coverage @BIOConvention #BIO2019: Keynote Address Jamie Dimon CEO @jpmorgan June 5, 2019, Philadelphia, PA

Reporter: Stephen J. Williams, PhD @StephenJWillia2

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/06/05/real-time-coverage-bioconvention-bio2019-keynote-address-jamie-dimon-ceo-jpmorgan-june-5-philadelphia/

 

Real Time Coverage @BIOConvention #BIO2019: Chat with @FDA Commissioner, & Challenges in Biotech & Gene Therapy June 4, 2019, Philadelphia, PA

Reporter: Stephen J. Williams, PhD @StephenJWillia2

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/06/04/real-time-coverage-bioconvention-bio2019-chat-with-fda-commissioner-challenges-in-biotech-gene-therapy-june-4-philadelphia/

 

Falling in Love with Science: Championing Science for Everyone, Everywhere June 4 2019, Philadelphia PA

Reporter: Stephen J. Williams, PhD @StephenJWillia2

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/06/04/real-time-coverage-bioconvention-bio2019-falling-in-love-with-science-championing-science-for-everyone-everywhere/

 

Real Time Coverage @BIOConvention #BIO2019: June 4 Morning Sessions; Global Biotech Investment & Public-Private Partnerships, 6/4/2019, Philadelphia PA

Reporter: Stephen J Williams PhD @StephenJWillia2

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/06/04/real-time-coverage-bioconvention-bio2019-june-4-morning-sessions-global-biotech-investment-public-private-partnerships/

 

Real Time Coverage @BIOConvention #BIO2019: Understanding the Voices of Patients: Unique Perspectives on Healthcare; June 4, 2019, 11:00 AM, Philadelphia PA

Reporter: Stephen J. Williams, PhD @StephenJWillia2

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/06/04/real-time-coverage-bioconvention-bio2019-understanding-the-voices-of-patients-unique-perspectives-on-healthcare-june-4/

 

Real Time Coverage @BIOConvention #BIO2019: Keynote: Siddhartha Mukherjee, Oncologist and Pulitzer Author; June 4 2019, 9AM, Philadelphia PA

Reporter: Stephen J. Williams, PhD. @StephenJWillia2

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/06/04/real-time-coverage-bioconvention-bio2019-keynote-siddhartha-mukherjee-oncologist-and-pulitzer-author-june-4-9am-philadelphia-pa/

 

Real Time Coverage @BIOConvention #BIO2019:  Issues of Risk and Reproduceability in Translational and Academic Collaboration; 2:30-4:00 June 3, 2019, Philadelphia PA

Reporter: Stephen J. Williams, PhD @StephenJWillia2

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/06/03/real-time-coverage-bioconvention-bio2019-issues-of-risk-and-reproduceability-in-translational-and-academic-collaboration-230-400-june-3-philadelphia-pareal-time-coverage-bioconvention-bi/

 

Real Time Coverage @BIOConvention #BIO2019: What’s Next: The Landscape of Innovation in 2019 and Beyond. 3-4 PM June 3, 2019, Philadelphia PA

Reporter: Stephen J. Williams, PhD @StephenJWillia2

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/06/03/real-time-coverage-bioconvention-bio2019-whats-next-the-landscape-of-innovation-in-2019-and-beyond-3-4-pm-june-3-philadelphia-pa/

 

Real Time Coverage @BIOConvention #BIO2019: After Trump’s Drug Pricing Blueprint: What Happens Next? A View from Washington; June 3, 2019 1:00 PM, Philadelphia PA

Reporter: Stephen J. Williams, PhD @StephenJWillia2

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/06/03/real-time-coverage-bioconvention-bio2019-after-trumps-drug-pricing-blueprint-what-happens-next-a-view-from-washington-june-3-2019-100-pm-philadelphia-pa/

 

Real Time Coverage @BIOConvention #BIO2019: International Cancer Clusters Showcase June 3, 2019, Philadelphia PA

Reporter: Stephen J. Williams PhD @StephenJWillia2

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/06/03/real-time-coverage-bioconvention-bio2019-international-cancer-clusters-showcase-june-3-philadelphia-pa/

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Real Time Coverage @BIOConvention #BIO2019: Genome Editing and Regulatory Harmonization: Progress and Challenges

Reporter: Stephen J Williams, PhD @StephenJWillia2

 

Genome editing offers the potential of new and effective treatments for genetic diseases. As companies work to develop these treatments, regulators are focused on ensuring that any such products meet applicable safety and efficacy requirements. This panel will discuss how European Union and United States regulators are approaching therapeutic use of genome editing, issues in harmonization between these two – and other – jurisdictions, challenges faced by industry as regulatory positions evolve, and steps that organizations and companies can take to facilitate approval and continued efforts at harmonization.

 

CBER:  because of the nature of these gene therapies, which are mainly orphan, there is expedited review.  Since they started this division in 2015, they have received over 1500 applications.

Spark: Most of the issues were issues with the primary disease not the gene therapy so they had to make new endpoint tests so had talks with FDA before they entered phase III.   There has been great collaboration with FDA,  now they partnered with Novartis to get approval outside US.  You should be willing to partner with EU pharmas to expedite the regulatory process outside US.  In China the process is new and Brazil is behind on their gene therapy guidance.  However there is the new issue of repeat testing of your manufacturing process, as manufacturing of gene therapies had been small scale before. However he notes that problems with expedited review is tough because you don’t have alot of time to get data together.  They were lucky that they had already done a randomized trial.

Sidley Austin:  EU regulatory you make application with advance therapy you don’t have a national option, the regulation body assesses a committee to see if has applicability. Then it goes to a safety committee.  EU has been quicker to approve these advance therapies. Twenty five percent of their applications are gene therapies.  Companies having issues with manufacturing.  There can be issues when the final application is formalized after discussions as problems may arise between discussions, preliminary applications, and final applications.

Sarepta: They have a robust gene therapy program.  Their lead is a therapy for DMD (Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy) where affected males die by 25. Japan and EU have different regulatory applications and although they are similar and data can be transferred there is more paperwork required by EU.  The US uses an IND for application. Global feedback is very challenging, they have had multiple meetings around the world and takes a long time preparing a briefing package….. putting a strain on the small biotechs.  No company wants to be either just EU centric or US centric they just want to get out to market as fast as possible.

 

Please follow LIVE on TWITTER using the following @ handles and # hashtags:

@Handles

@pharma_BI

@AVIVA1950

@BIOConvention

# Hashtags

#BIO2019 (official meeting hashtag)

 

 

 

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People with two copies of the Δ32 mutation died at rates 21 percent higher than those with one or no copies – application of CRISPR @Berkeley

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

2.1.3.3

2.1.3.3   People with two copies of the Δ32 mutation died at rates 21 percent higher than those with one or no copies – application of CRISPR @Berkeley, Volume 2 (Volume Two: Latest in Genomics Methodologies for Therapeutics: Gene Editing, NGS and BioInformatics, Simulations and the Genome Ontology), Part 2: CRISPR for Gene Editing and DNA Repair

CCR5-∆32 is deleterious in the homozygous state in humans

CRISPR baby mutation significantly increases mortality

“Here is a functional protein that we know has an effect in the organism, and it is well-conserved among many different species, so it is likely that a mutation that destroys the protein is, on average, not good for you,” he said. “Otherwise, evolutionary mechanisms would have destroyed that protein a long time ago.”

SOURCE

https://news.berkeley.edu/2019/06/03/crispr-baby-mutation-significantly-increases-mortality/

In the UK Biobank data they found two lines of evidence to suggest that these days, CCR5 actually is a net negative. In the first analysis they tracked how long people survived after enrolling in the Biobank study. They found that between the ages of 41 and 78, people with two copies of the Δ32 mutation had significantly higher death rates. They also observed that far fewer people with two copies enrolled in the study than expected, which they interpreted to mean that these individuals were less likely to survive into middle age than the general population. “Something has removed people with two copies of the mutation, and the likely explanation is increased mortality,” says Nielsen.

A child was born missing a large chunk of DNA in its CCR5 gene. This gene coded for a receptor on the surface of immune cells useful for coordinating responses to invading pathogens. And this spontaneous deletion torpedoed CCR5 production—one copy shrunk the number of receptors on cells, two copies erased the receptor altogether.

Today, the Δ32 mutation occurs in about 10 percent of the population of Europe, in a decreasing gradient from north to south. Natural selection pushed it through the population about 100 times faster than if it were a neutral change to the genome. But with the invention of vaccines, and the eradication of diseases like smallpox over the last century, the mutation has become less useful. According to Nielsen and Wei’s analysis, it’s now downright detrimental.

SOURCE

https://www.wired.com/story/a-study-exposes-the-health-risks-of-gene-editing-human-embryos/?mbid=social_linkedin&utm_brand=wired&utm_campaign=wired&utm_medium=social&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=linkedin

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Alter the Code of Life – Technologies for Gene Editing from MammothBiosciences, San Francisco, CA, Volume 2 (Volume Two: Latest in Genomics Methodologies for Therapeutics: Gene Editing, NGS and BioInformatics, Simulations and the Genome Ontology), Part 2: CRISPR for Gene Editing and DNA Repair

Alter the Code of Life – Technologies for Gene Editing from MammothBiosciences, San Francisco, CA

 

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

UPDATED on 6/13/2019

Each CRISPR Cas protein offers different strengths in various applications because of factors like speed, precision, and cost, the company’s founders believe. Adding Cas14 to its arsenal allows Mammoth to target single-stranded DNA, as well as double-stranded DNA (Cas12) and single-stranded RNA (Cas13).

Mammoth CEO Trevor Martin thinks of DNA and RNA as the languages of CRISPR and single-stranded or double-stranded DNA and RNA as different dialects. Being able to speak multiple dialects of different languages allows Mammoth to target many different kinds of disease. The company thinks Cas14 could be particularly useful in infectious disease, oncology and genetic mutations.

https://www.fiercebiotech.com/research/new-enzyme-boosts-crispr-toolbox-for-disease-detection

 

https://mammoth.bio/

Mission

Mammoth’s vision is to provide a CRISPR-based platform on which an infinite number of tests can be built by both ourselves and our partners – democratizing access to an endless variety of tests for bio sensing in healthcare, as well as across industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, forensics, and more.

CRISPR Is Programmable

Both Cas12 and Cas13 are programmed by a molecule called a guide RNA. This RNA molecule matches up with the sequence we want to detect and the protein senses that a match has been found.
Reprogramming these complexes is as simple as changing the sequence of the guide RNA.

Building the CRISPR platform foundation – The Team

With expertise spanning the intersection of data analytics and molecular biology, Mammoth is building on the pioneering research conducted in Jennifer Doudna’s lab at UC Berkeley to build the CRISPR platform for the world’s best detection products.

  • Jennifer Doudna
    Co-founder, Chair of Scientific
    Advisory Board
  • Trevor Martin
    Co-founder, CEO
  • Lucas Harrington
    Co-founder, Chief Discovery Officer

SOURCE

https://mammoth.bio/

 

Other 150 related articles on CRISPR published in this Open Access Online Scientific Journal include the following:

 

UPDATED – Gene Editing Consortium of Biotech Companies: CRISPR Therapeutics $CRSP, Intellia Therapeutics $NTLA, Caribou Biosciences, ERS Genomics, UC, Berkeley (Doudna’s IP) and University of Vienna (Charpentier’s IP), is appealing the decision ruled that there was no interference between the two sides, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, targeting patents from The Broad Institute.

Curator: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2017/04/13/gene-editing-consortium-of-biotech-companies-crispr-therapeutics-crsp-intellia-therapeutics-ntla-caribou-biosciences-and-ers-genomics-uc-berkeley-doudnas-ip-and-university-of-vienna-charpe/

 

Top 10 CRISPR Podcasts Every Scientist (& Non-Scientist) by Synthego.com

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/03/09/top-10-crispr-podcasts-every-scientist-non-scientist-by-synthego-com/

 

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A. Richard Newton Distinguished Innovator Lecture Series – Dr. Jennifer Doudna, April 23, 2019, UC, Berkeley

2.1.5.1

2.1.5.1   A. Richard Newton Distinguished Innovator Lecture Series – Dr. Jennifer Doudna, April 23, 2019, UC, Berkeley, Volume 2 (Volume Two: Latest in Genomics Methodologies for Therapeutics: Gene Editing, NGS and BioInformatics, Simulations and the Genome Ontology), Part 2: CRISPR for Gene Editing and DNA Repair

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Last month, Dr. Jennifer Doudna spoke with the Sutardja Center at the A. Richard Newton Distinguished Innovator Lecture Series. Dr. Doudna is a UC Berkeley Professor,  co-inventor of CRISPR and co-author of A Crack in Creation and cofounder of Mammoth Biosciences; Caribou Biosciences; Intellia Therapeutics and Editas Medicine. Whether or not your passion is bio-tech, this lecture will be relevant to all of us, since the innovations in gene editing technology will change our lives.

Dr. Doudna recently wrote in an article for Time’s most influential people… “Since 2012, when CRISPR-Cas9 transformed research, scientists have purposely taken a cautious and deliberate approach, focusing on how to safely apply genome editing to cure genetic diseases, fight cancer, accelerate drug development, create transplant organs and develop more nutritious crops. Its potential to improve our lives is enormous. But its potential to harm, with unintended side effects, is still unknown.”

Click here or the picture above to watch the full video!

WATCH VIDEO

A. Richard Newton Distinguished Innovator Lecture Series – Dr. Jennifer Doudna, April 23, 2019, UC, Berkeley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vuoNML-u6I&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=Sutardja+Center+Contacts&utm_campaign=b28e42ec1a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_04_18_06_13_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8ae9d85a8f-b28e42ec1a-164676973

SOURCE

From: Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology <sidhu@berkeley.edu>

Reply-To: Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology <sidhu@berkeley.edu>

Date: Thursday, May 16, 2019 at 12:00 PM

To: Aviva Lev-Ari <AvivaLev-Ari@alum.berkeley.edu>

Subject: Dr. Jennifer Doudna, co-inventor of CRISPR and UC Berkeley professor, speaks at the Sutardja Center

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Top 10 CRISPR Podcasts Every Scientist (& Non-Scientist) by Synthego.com

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

  • On 3/12/2015 – Dr. Williams posted

Podcast Review: Quiet Innovation Podcast on Obtaining $ for Your Startup

Reporter: Stephen J. Williams, Ph.D.

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2015/03/12/podcast-review-quiet-innovation-podcast-on-obtaining-for-your-startup/

  • On 1/25/2016 – I posted

Launching LPBI’s, Fourth Line of Business (D): FIVE Podcast – Audio Series in BioMed

Curator: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2016/01/25/launching-lpbis-fourth-line-of-business-d-five-podcast-audio-series-in-biomed/

  • On 3/17/2016 – I posted

CRISPR: A Podcast from Nature.com on Gene Editing

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2016/03/17/crispr-a-podcast-from-nature-com-on-gene-editing/

2.1.5.2

2.1.5.2   Top 10 CRISPR Podcasts Every Scientist (& Non-Scientist) by Synthego.com, Volume 2 (Volume Two: Latest in Genomics Methodologies for Therapeutics: Gene Editing, NGS and BioInformatics, Simulations and the Genome Ontology), Part 2: CRISPR for Gene Editing and DNA Repair

Download eBook


CRISPR 101

CRISPR has ignited a revolution. Although it’s a relatively recent discovery in the history of biotechnology, CRISPR has quickly become a standard laboratory tool. This comprehensive CRISPR 101 eBook is designed to ease any scientist into the world of CRISPR by providing an overview of its fundamentals.

Download

Download eBook


CRISPR 101

CRISPR has ignited a revolution. Although it’s a relatively recent discovery in the history of biotechnology, CRISPR has quickly become a standard laboratory tool. This comprehensive CRISPR 101 eBook is designed to ease any scientist into the world of CRISPR by providing an overview of its fundamentals.

Download

SOURCE

https://www.synthego.com/blog/10-podcasts-every-crispr-scientist-will-love

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TWEETS by @pharma_BI and @AVIVA1950 at #IESYMPOSIUM – @kochinstitute 2019 #Immune #Engineering #Symposium, 1/28/2019 – 1/29/2019

Real Time Press Coverage: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

2.1.3.4

2.1.3.4   TWEETS by @pharma_BI and @AVIVA1950 at #IESYMPOSIUM – @kochinstitute 2019 #Immune #Engineering #Symposium, 1/28/2019 – 1/29/2019, Volume 2 (Volume Two: Latest in Genomics Methodologies for Therapeutics: Gene Editing, NGS and BioInformatics, Simulations and the Genome Ontology), Part 2: CRISPR for Gene Editing and DNA Repair

eProceedings for Day 1 and Day 2

LIVE Day One – Koch Institute 2019 Immune Engineering Symposium, January 28, 2019, Kresge Auditorium, MIT

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/01/28/live-day-one-koch-institute-2019-immune-engineering-symposium-january-28-2019-kresge-auditorium-mit/

LIVE Day Two – Koch Institute 2019 Immune Engineering Symposium, January 29, 2019, Kresge Auditorium, MIT

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2019/01/29/live-day-two-koch-institute-2019-immune-engineering-symposium-january-29-2019-kresge-auditorium-mit/

  1. AMAZING Conference I covered in Real Time

  2. Aviv Regev Melanoma: malignant cells with resistance in cold niches in situ cells express the resistance program pre-treatment: resistance UP – cold Predict checkpoint immunotherapy outcomes CDK4/6 abemaciclib in cell lines

  3. Aviv Regev, a cell-cell interactions from variations across individuals Most UC-risk genes are cell type specificVariation – epithelial cell signature – organize US GWAS into cell type spec

  4. Diane Mathis Age-dependent Treg and mSC changes – Linear with increase in age Sex-dependent Treg and mSC changes – Female Treg loss in cases of Obesity leading to fibrosis Treg keep IL-33-Producing mSCs under rein Lean tissue/Obese tissue

  5. Martin LaFleur Loss of Ptpn2 enhances CD8+ T cell responses to LCMV and Tumors PTpn2 deletion in the immune system enhanced tumor immunity CHIME enables in vivo screening

  6. Alex Shalek Identifying and rationally modulating cellular drivers of enhanced immunity T Cells, Clusters Expression of Peak and Memory Immunotherapy- Identifying Dendritic cells enhanced in HIV-1 Elite Controllers

  7.   Retweeted

    Onward: our own Michael Birnbaum, who assures us that if you feel like you’re an immunoengineer, then you ARE one!

  8. Glenn Dranoff Adenosine level in blood or tissue very difficult to measure in blood even more than in tissue – NIR178 + PDR 001 Monotherapy (NIR178) combine with PD receptor blockage (PDR) show benefit A alone vs A+B in Clinical trial

  9. Glenn Dranoff PD-L1 blockade elicits responses in some patients: soft part sarcoma LAG-3 combined with PD-1 – human peripheral blood tumor TIM-3 key regulator of T cell and Myeloid cell function: correlates in the TCGA DB myeloid

  10. Glenn Dranoff Institute for Biomedical Research of Neurologic toxicities of CART t IL-6 activation AML – complete response – weekly dose of XmAb CD123X CD3 bispecific antibody anti tumor effect

  11. of protective HLA-DR4 effects outside of “peptide anchor” residues Class I MHC – HLA-E down regulate T and NK cells Receptor Binding: Positional preferences noted for NKG2A

  12. Yvonne Chen Activation of t Cell use CAR t Engineer CAR-T to respond to soluble form of antigens: CD19 CAR Responds to soluble CD19 GFP MCAR responds to Dimeric GFP “Tumor microenvironment is a scary place”

  13. Yvonne Chen Do we need a ligand to be a dimers? Co-expressed second-generation TGF-beta signaling

  14. Yvonne Chen “Engineering smarter and stronger T cells for cancer immunotherapy” OR-Gate cause no relapse – Probing limits of modularity in CAR Design Bispecific CARs are superior to DualCAR: One vs DualCAR (some remained single CAR)

  15.   Retweeted

    Ending the 1st session is Cathy Wu of detailing some amazing work on vaccination strategies for melanoma and glioblastoma patients. They use long peptides engineered from tumor sequencing data.

  16.   Retweeted

    Some fancy imaging: Duggan gives a nice demo of how dSTORM imaging works using a micropatterend image of Kennedy Institute for Rheumatology! yay!

  17.   Retweeted

    Lots of interesting talks in the second session of the – effects of lymphoangiogenesis on anti-tumor immune responses, nanoparticle based strategies to improve bNAbs titers/affinity for HIV therapy, and IAPi cancer immunotherapy

  18.   Retweeted

    Looking forward to another day of the . One more highlight from yesterday – from our own lab showcased her work developing cytokine fusions that bind to collagen, boosting efficacy while drastically reducing toxicities

  19.   Retweeted

    Members of our cell therapy team were down the street today at neighboring for the presented by .

  20.   Retweeted

    He could have fooled me that he is, in fact, an immunologist!

  21.  
  22.   Retweeted

    Come and say Hi! ACIR will be back tomorrow at the Immune Engineering Symposium at MIT. Learn more at . . And stay tuned to read our summary of the talks on Feb 6.

  23. Facundo Batista @MGH # in BG18 Germline Heavy CHain (BG18-gH) High-mannose patch – mice exhibit normal B cell development B cells from naive human germline BG18-gH bind to GT2 immunogen

  24. Preeti Sharma, U Illinois T cell receptor and CAR-T engineering TCR engineering for Targeting glycosylated cancer antigens Nornal glycosylation vs Aberrant Engineering 237-CARs libraries with conjugated (Tn-OTS8) against Tn-antigend In vitro

  25. Bryan Bryson Loss of polarization potential: scRNAseq reveals transcriptional differences Thioredoxin facilitates immune response to Mtb is a marker of an inflammatory macrophage state functional spectrum of human microphages

  26. Bryan Bryson macrophage axis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Building “libraries” – surface marker analysis of Microphages Polarized macrophages are functionally different quant and qual differences History of GM-CSF suppresses IL-10

  27. Jamie Spangler John Hopkins University “Reprogramming anti-cancer immunity RESPONSE through molecular engineering” De novo IL-2 potetiator in therapeutic superior to the natural cytokine by molecular engineering mimicking other cytokines

  28. Jamie Spangler JES6-1 Immunocytokine – inhibiting melanoma Engineering a Treg cell-biased immunocytokine double mutant immunocytokine shows enhanced IL-2Ralpha exchange Affinity De Novo design of a hyper-stable, effector biased IL-2

  29. , Volume Five: in of Cardiovascular Diseases. On com since 12/23/2018

  30. Michael Dustin ESCRT pathway associated with synaptic ectosomes Locatization, Microscopy Cytotoxic T cell granules CTLs release extracellular vescicles similar to T Helper with perforin and granzyme – CTL vesicles kill targets

  31. Michael Dustin Delivery of T cell Effector function through extracellular vesicles Synaptic ectosome biogenisis Model: T cells: DOpamine cascade in germinal cell delivered to synaptic cleft – Effector CD40 – Transfer is cooperative

  32. Michael Dustin Delivery of T cell Effector function through extracellular vesicles Laterally mobile ligands track receptor interaction ICAM-1 Signaling of synapse – Sustain signaling by transient in microclusters TCR related Invadipodia

  33. Mikael Pittet @MGH Myeloid Cells in Cancer Indirect mechanism AFTER a-PD-1 Treatment IFN-gamma Sensing Fosters IL-12 & therapeutic Responses aPD-1-Mediated Activation of Tumor Immunity – Direct activation and the ‘Licensing’ Model

  34. Stefani Spranger KI Response to checkpoint blockade Non-T cell-inflamed – is LACK OF T CELL INFILTRATION Tumor CD103 dendritic cells – Tumor-residing Batf3-drivenCD103 Tumor-intrinsic Beta-catenin mediates lack of T cell infiltration

  35. Max Krummel Gene expression association between two genes: and numbers are tightly linked to response to checkpoint blockage IMMUNE “ACCOMODATION” ARCHYTYPES: MYELOID TUNING OF ARCHITYPES Myeloid function and composition

  36. Noor Momin, MIT Lumican-cytokines improve control of distant lesions – Lumican-fusion potentiates systemic anti-tumor immunity

    Translate Tweet

  37. Noor Momin, MIT Lumican fusion to IL-2 improves treatment efficacy reduce toxicity – Anti-TAA mAb – TA99 vs IL-2 Best efficacy and least toxicity in Lumican-MSA-IL-2 vs MSA-IL2 Lumican synergy with CAR-T

  38.   Retweeted

    excited to attend the immune engineering symposium this week! find me there to chat about and whether your paper could be a good fit for us! 🦠🧬🔬🧫📖

  39.   Retweeted

    Bob Schreiber and Tyler Jacks kicked off the with 2 great talks on the role of Class I and Class II neo-Ag in tumor immunogenicity and how the tumor microenvironment alters T cell responsiveness to tumors in vivo

  40.   Retweeted

    Scott Wilson from gave a fantastic talk on glycopolymer conjugation to antigens to improve trafficking to HAPCs and enhanced tolerization in autoimmunity models. Excited to learn more about his work at his faculty talk!

  41. AMAZING Symposinm

  42.   Retweeted

    Immune Engineering Symposium at MIT is underway!

  43.   Retweeted

    ACIR is excited to be covering the Immune Engineering Symposium at MIT on January 28-29. Learn more at .

  44. Tyler Jacks talk was outstanding, Needs be delivered A@TED TALKs, needs become contents in the curriculum of Cell Biology graduate seminar as an Online class. BRAVO

  45.   Retweeted

    Here we go!! Today and tomorrow the tippity top immunologists converge at

  46.   Retweeted

    Exciting start to this year’s Immune Engineering Symposium put on by at . A few highlights from the first section…

  47. Stephanie Dougan (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute) Dept. Virology IAPi outperforms checkpoint blockade in T cell cold tumors reduction of tumor burden gencitabine cross-presenting DCs and CD8 T cells – T cell low 6694c2

  48. Darrell Irvine (MIT, Koch Institute; HHMI) Engineering follicle delivery through synthetic glycans: eOD-60mer nanoparticles vs Ferritin-trimer 8-mer (density dependent)

  49. Darrell Irvine (MIT, Koch Institute; HHMI) GC targeting is dependent on complement component CIQ – activation: Mannose-binding lectins recognize eOD-60mer but not eOD monomer or trimers

  50. Melody Swartz (University of Chicago) Lymphangiogenesis attractive to Native T cells, in VEGF-C tumors T cell homing inhibitors vs block T cell egress inhibitors – Immunotherapy induces T cell killing

  51. Cathy Wu @MGH breakthrough for Brain Tumor based neoantigen-specific T cell at intracranial site Single cells brain tissue vs single cells from neoantigen specific T cells – intratumoral neoantigen-specific T cells: mutARGAP35-spacific

  52. Cathy Wu (Massachusetts General Hospital) – CoFounder of NEON Enduring complete radiographic responses after + alpha-PD-1 treatment (anti-PD-1) NeoVax vs IVAC Mutanome for melanoma and Glioblastoma clinical trials

  53. , U of Chicago IV INJECTION: OVAALBUMIN OVA-P(GALINAC), P(GLCNAC), SUPRESS T CELL RESPONSE Abate T cells response – Reduced cytokine production & increased -regs

  54. Interrogating markers of T cell dysfunction – chance biology of cells by CRISPR – EGR2 at 2 weeks dysfuntioning is reduced presence of EDR2 mutant class plays role in cell metabolism cell becomes functional regulator CD8 T cell

  55. Bob Schreiber (Wash University of St. Louis) Optimal CD8+ T cells mediated to T3 require CD4+ T help

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Opportunities and Ethics of Editing Genomes: A CRISPR-Inspired Conversation, Prof. Jennifer Doudna’s Lecture at Stanford University, JANUARY 24, 2019 – 7:00PM TO 8:30PM, CEMEX AUDITORIUM, GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

2.1.4.2

2.1.4.2   Opportunities and Ethics of Editing Genomes: A CRISPR-Inspired Conversation, Prof. Jennifer Doudna’s Lecture at Stanford University, JANUARY 24, 2019 – 7:00PM TO 8:30PM, CEMEX AUDITORIUM, GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, Volume 2 (Volume Two: Latest in Genomics Methodologies for Therapeutics: Gene Editing, NGS and BioInformatics, Simulations and the Genome Ontology), Part 2: CRISPR for Gene Editing and DNA Repair

Opportunities and Ethics of Editing Genomes: A CRISPR-Inspired Conversation

JANUARY 24, 2019 – 7:00PM TO 8:30PM
EVENT SERIES:
EVENT SPONSOR:
CENTER FOR BIOMEDICAL ETHICS, MCCOY FAMILY CENTER FOR ETHICS IN SOCIETY, CENTER FOR LAW AND BIOSCIENCES

Recent reports of the first babies to be born with CRISPR-edited genes have sparked widespread condemnation and calls for action. These concerns will be top of mind when world-renowned scientist Jennifer Doudna, co-inventor of CRISPR, speaks at Stanford on Thursday, Jan. 24, as part of the Arrow Lecture Series on Ethics and Leadership.

Doudna, a professor of chemistry and molecular and cell biology at U.C. Berkeley, rocked the research world in 2012 when she and her colleagues announced the invention of CRISPR-Cas9, a technology that uses an RNA-guided protein found in bacteria to edit an organism’s DNA quickly and inexpensively.

Following her lecture, Doudna will have an on-stage conversation with Political Science Professor Rob Reich, faculty director of the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society, and Kelly Ormond, a professor of genetics at Stanford’s School of Medicine and faculty member of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics.

Doudna is the co-author with Sam Sternberg of “A Crack in Creation,” a personal account of her research and the societal and ethical implications of gene editing. Doudna has received many other honors including the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences and membership in the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Inventors and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The Arrow Lecture Series, presented by the Center for Ethics in Society, honors the late Nobel Laureate Kenneth Arrow, the Joan Kenney Professor of Economics and Professor of Operations Research, Emeritus.

This event is co-sponsored by the Stanford Center for Law and the Biosciences and the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics.

LOCATION:
CEMEX AUDITORIUM, GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
ADMISSION:
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
CONTACT EMAIL:
MVPENA@STANFORD.EDU

SOURCE

https://ethicsinsociety.stanford.edu/events/opportunities-and-ethics-editing-genomes-crispr-inspired-conversation

What is Ethics in Society?

The McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society is committed to bringing ethical reflection to bear on important social problems through research, teaching, and community engagement. Drawing on the established strengths of Stanford’s interdisciplinary faculty, the Center develops initiatives with ethical dimensions that relate to pressing public problems. A bridge to the undergraduate Stanford community, the Center houses the Undergraduate Program in Ethics in Society in addition to these current initiatives:

  • Public events, including the Tanner, Wesson, and Arrow lectures, and multi-year themed lecture series
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship Program to promote teaching and research in ethics in society
  • An Undergraduate Program that supports an honors thesis option and the opportunity to minor in Ethics in Society for students in every major
  • Conferences, seminars, and workshops in partnership with other departments across campus
  • Curriculum development around the undergraduate Ethical Reasoning breadth requirement
  • The Hope House Scholars Program in which Stanford faculty, postdocs, or graduate students teach a course in the humanities to the residents of Hope House, a residential drug and alcohol treatment facility for women, many of whom have recently been incarcerated.
  • The Buzz blog which features the voices of Stanford students and freelance writers on happenings at the McCoy Center

https://ethicsinsociety.stanford.edu/about/what-ethics-society

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Gene-editing Second International Summit in Hong Kong: George Church, “Let’s be quantitative before we start being accusatory”

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

2.1.4.3

2.1.4.3   Gene-editing Second International Summit in Hong Kong: George Church, “Let’s be quantitative before we start being accusatory”, Volume 2 (Volume Two: Latest in Genomics Methodologies for Therapeutics: Gene Editing, NGS and BioInformatics, Simulations and the Genome Ontology), Part 2: CRISPR for Gene Editing and DNA Repair

UPDATED on 11/30/2018

Gene editing takes a foreboding leap forward

He Jiankui. Photo: Zhang Wei/Chinese News Service/VCG via Getty Images

 

China is temporarily suspending the work of scientists who claimed twins were born after being genetically edited as embryos.

Why it matters: The scientific consensus is that gene editing embryos at this stage of science is “irresponsible.” But, while this particular experiment has not been verified, the fact is the technology is available to researchers, so there’s a growing call for international limitations on its use.

ICYMI: Chinese scientist He Jiankui announced earlier this week that twins were born after he used the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to cut the CCR5 gene that’s known to play a role in HIV infection.

  • He stirred even more dismay when he mentioned the possibility of a second pregnancy.
  • China currently bans human implantation of gene-edited embryos. Its Ministry of Science and Technology is investigating the claims, per Xinhua.

There are concerns about the safety, efficacy and possible mosaicism, where a person can contain genes in both its edited and unedited forms, from cutting genes.

  • Editing embryos raises an even bigger concern: The genetic changes and all the unknowns around them can be passed down to future generations.

Between the lines: Not everyone viewed it as a complete disaster. For instance, Harvard Medical School’s George Daley suggested that it may be time to reconsider the massive amounts of research done over the past several years and look for plausible methods of moving forward.

What to watch: Scientists are cautious about predicting what the impact will be, in part because the details of this claim are thin. However, the debate is heating up and one concern is it will dampen important research.

  • Medical ethicist Jonathan Moreno from the University of Pennsylvania says the situation reminds him of other times in history where there were tremors in the science world, like the death of 18-year-old Jesse Gelsinger in 1999 from a gene therapy trial that led to years of diminished research.

The bottom line: The alarm over what could be next is real. But scientists hope the current debate will promote consensus on firm limits and promote transparency.

Go deeper:

SOURCE

From: Andrew Freedman <andrew.freedman@axios.com>

Date: Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 5:33 PM

To: Aviva Lev-Ari <AvivaLev-Ari@alum.berkeley.edu>

Subject: Axios Science: About that climate report — Gene editing takes a foreboding step — Building in harms’ way

He Jiankui spoke at the second international summit on human genome editing in Hong Kong. (Alex Hofford/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

CRISPR-baby scientist faces the music

The scientist who claims to have helped produce the first people born with edited genomes faced a tough crowd yesterday at a gene-editing summit in Hong Kong. He Jiankui gave a 20-minute talk about his unpublished work in animals and humans before opening a 40-minute Q&A session (watch it here). He faced difficult questions about the ethics of his work and his choice to keep it mostly under wraps until after the babies were born, and left many unanswered.

Meanwhile, prominent geneticist George Church is one of the few scientists who seem to be looking on the bright side of He’s controversial claim. “Let’s be quantitative before we start being accusatory,” Church told Science. “As long as these are normal, healthy kids it’s going to be fine for the field and the family.”

Nature | 9 min read & Science | 6 min read

Read more: Genome-edited baby claim provokes international outcry

SOURCE

From: Nature Briefing <briefing@nature.com>

Reply-To: Nature Briefing <briefing@nature.com>

Date: Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 12:18 PM

To: Aviva Lev-Ari <AvivaLev-Ari@alum.berkeley.edu>

Subject: CRISPR-baby scientist faces the music at gene-editing summit

See

SAVE

The ethical red flags of genetically edited babies

Driving the news: Chinese scientist He Jiankui announced Sunday night that a pair of twin girls had been born from embryos he modified using the gene-editing tool known as CRISPR.

  • He hasn’t provided solid proof, but if it‘s true, it would be the first time the technology has been used to engineer a human.

What they’re saying: The inventors of CRISPR technology did not seem pleased with the development — one called for a moratorium on implantation edited embryos into potential mothers.

  • “I hope we will be more cautious in the next thing we try to do, and think more carefully about when you should use technology versus when you could use technology,” said Jessica Berg, a bioethicist at Case Western Reserve University.

Between the lines: Several specific factors in He’s work sent up ethical red flags.

  • Many scientists had assumed that, when this technology was first used in humans, it would edit out mutations tied to a single gene that were certain to cause a child pain and suffering once it was born — essentially, as a last resort.
  • But He used CRISPR to, as he put it, “close a door” that HIV could have one day traveled through. That has prompted some speculation that this project was more about testing the technology than serving an acute medical need.
  • “That should make us very uneasy about the whole situation,” Berg said. “Of all the things to have started with, it does make you a little suspicious about this particular choice.”

The intrigue: There’s a lot we still don’t know about He’s work, and that’s also contributing to an attitude of skepticism.

  • How many embryos did he edit and implant before these live births?
  • How will he know it worked? As the children age, they’ll likely have their blood drawn and those samples will be exposed to HIV in a lab, but researchers aren’t going to tell them to go out and have unprotected sex or use intravenous drugs — another reason HIV seems like an odd starting place for human gene editing.
  • How did this even happen? The university where He worked said he was on leave, and Chinese officials have said he’s under investigation. But gene editing is a pretty hard thing to freelance.

The other side: He defended his work in a video message, saying, “I understand my work will be controversial but I believe families need this technology and I’m willing to take the criticism for them.”

  • “Their parents don’t want a designer baby, just a child who won’t suffer from a disease which medicine can now prevent,” He said.

Yes, but: Now that this threshold may have been crossed, attempts to create “designer babies” — within the limitations of what CRISPR can do — probably aren’t far off, some experts fear.

  • There are “likely to be places that are less regulated than others, where people are going to attempt to see what they can do,” Berg said. “I wouldn’t say everything in the world has changed now, but it’s certainly the next step.”
SOURCE

https://www.axios.com/genetic-editing-baby-china-ethics-controversy-b33f8414-8b83-445c-bad5-d8407f8841f4.html

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2018/11/26/jennifer-doudna-and-npr-science-correspondent-joe-palca-several-interviews/

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Jennifer Doudna and NPR science correspondent Joe Palca, several interviews

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

2.1.3.5

2.1.3.5   Jennifer Doudna and NPR science correspondent Joe Palca, several interviews, Volume 2 (Volume Two: Latest in Genomics Methodologies for Therapeutics: Gene Editing, NGS and BioInformatics, Simulations and the Genome Ontology), Part 2: CRISPR for Gene Editing and DNA Repair

UPDATED on 11/27/2018

SAVE

The ethical red flags of genetically edited babies

Driving the news: Chinese scientist He Jiankui announced Sunday night that a pair of twin girls had been born from embryos he modified using the gene-editing tool known as CRISPR.

  • He hasn’t provided solid proof, but if it‘s true, it would be the first time the technology has been used to engineer a human.

What they’re saying: The inventors of CRISPR technology did not seem pleased with the development — one called for a moratorium on implantation edited embryos into potential mothers.

  • “I hope we will be more cautious in the next thing we try to do, and think more carefully about when you should use technology versus when you could use technology,” said Jessica Berg, a bioethicist at Case Western Reserve University.

Between the lines: Several specific factors in He’s work sent up ethical red flags.

  • Many scientists had assumed that, when this technology was first used in humans, it would edit out mutations tied to a single gene that were certain to cause a child pain and suffering once it was born — essentially, as a last resort.
  • But He used CRISPR to, as he put it, “close a door” that HIV could have one day traveled through. That has prompted some speculation that this project was more about testing the technology than serving an acute medical need.
  • “That should make us very uneasy about the whole situation,” Berg said. “Of all the things to have started with, it does make you a little suspicious about this particular choice.”

The intrigue: There’s a lot we still don’t know about He’s work, and that’s also contributing to an attitude of skepticism.

  • How many embryos did he edit and implant before these live births?
  • How will he know it worked? As the children age, they’ll likely have their blood drawn and those samples will be exposed to HIV in a lab, but researchers aren’t going to tell them to go out and have unprotected sex or use intravenous drugs — another reason HIV seems like an odd starting place for human gene editing.
  • How did this even happen? The university where He worked said he was on leave, and Chinese officials have said he’s under investigation. But gene editing is a pretty hard thing to freelance.

The other side: He defended his work in a video message, saying, “I understand my work will be controversial but I believe families need this technology and I’m willing to take the criticism for them.”

  • “Their parents don’t want a designer baby, just a child who won’t suffer from a disease which medicine can now prevent,” He said.

Yes, but: Now that this threshold may have been crossed, attempts to create “designer babies” — within the limitations of what CRISPR can do — probably aren’t far off, some experts fear.

  • There are “likely to be places that are less regulated than others, where people are going to attempt to see what they can do,” Berg said. “I wouldn’t say everything in the world has changed now, but it’s certainly the next step.”
SOURCE

https://www.axios.com/genetic-editing-baby-china-ethics-controversy-b33f8414-8b83-445c-bad5-d8407f8841f4.html

UPDATED on 11/26/2018

  1. CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna explains gene-editing …

    news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/05/crispr…

    Doudna, who spoke at Harvard’s Science Center, explained the work that led to the development of CRISPR/Cas9 geneediting technology, which was described in a paper in the journal Science in 2012. A sign of how quickly the techniques would be adopted by her scientific colleagues came within months.

  2. Eventbrite – Science History Institute presents Jennifer A. Doudna, “CRISPR Biology and Biotechnology: the Future of Genome Editing” – Friday, November 16, 2018 at Science History Institute, Philadelphia, PA.

  3. A pioneer of the Crispr geneediting technology that’s taken Wall Street by storm says the field is probably five to 10 years away from having an approved therapy for patients.

  4. A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power …

    thehumanist.com/magazine/november-december-2017/…

    BOOK BY JENNIFER DOUDNA AND SAMUEL STERNBERG HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT, 2017 304 PP.; $28.00 (HARDCOVER) $14.99 (KINDLE) CRISPR is the basis of a genome editingtechnology—the latest breakthrough in the grand tradition that began over 400 generations ago when we started to grow wheat and rice instead of just picking its wild cousins.

  5. The CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology was discovered in 2012 by campus professor of chemistry, molecular biology and biochemistry Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, director at the Max …

  6. 2 hours ago · The International Summit on Human Genome Editing begins here on Tuesday and many researchers, ethicists, and policymakers attending the meeting first learned of He’s claim through media reports.

Video of Conversation With Jennifer Doudna and NPR’s Joe Palca

WATCH VIDEO

https://today.lbl.gov/2018/01/26/video-of-conversation-with-jennifer-doudna-and-nprs-joe-palca/

Published on Jan 24, 2018

SUBSCRIBE 13K
This conversation between Berkeley Lab researcher Jennifer Doudna and NPR science correspondent Joe Palca took place on on Monday, Nov. 20, 2017. The event was the first in the Director’s Distinguished Women in Science speaker series, a venue for women scientists to share their work and perspectives with the Lab community. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/berkeleylab/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/berkeleylab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BerkeleyLab/ More Berkeley Lab news: http://bit.ly/BerkeleyLabNews Subscribe: https://youtube.com/berkeleylab
SOURCE

Jennifer Doudna Talks CRISPR Origins, Implications with NPR’s Joe Palca

SOURCE

http://biosciences.lbl.gov/2017/12/01/jennifer-doudna-talks-crispr-origins-implications-nprs-joe-palca/

Jennifer Doudna featured on NPR’s Morning Edition for her work on CRISPR/Cas9 — a tool for editing genes

October 13, 2014
Jennifer Doudna. Jennifer Doudna. Photo: Roy Kaltschmidt, Berkeley Lab Public Affairs

UC Berkeley’s Jennifer Doudna was featured on NPR’s Morning Edition for her work on CRISPR/Cas9 — a tool for editing genes. Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues showed that CRISPR/Cas9, can be used with great precision to selectively disable or add several genes at once in human cells, offering a potent new tool to understand and treat complex genetic diseases.

Read more and listen to the full story, “In Hopes Of Fixing Faulty Genes, One Scientist Starts With the Basics.”

SOURCE

https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/news/jennifer-doudna-featured-nprs-morning-edition-her-work-crisprcas9-tool-editing-genes

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