Dr. Jennifer Doudna on Oct 22, 2024 | UCSB Arts & Lectures

“I had been told that girls don’t do science. And fortunately, I ignored that.” – Dr. Jennifer Doudna

“The technology of gene editing will be the most important advance of our era, one that will create astonishing opportunities combined with frightening moral challenges… and what it portends for our future.” – Walter Isaacson

The world stands on the edge of an era when gene editing can address many serious ills plaguing humankind, says biochemist Jennifer Doudna, who earned the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for co-developing CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering technology. New discoveries in this field continue at a rapid pace. The FDA approved the first CRISPR-based gene therapy for the treatment of sickle cell disease. At Doudna’s Innovative Genomics Institute, CRISPR is being harnessed to reduce climate change-causing emissions from cattle and edit the microbiome to solve intractable health issues such as asthma. In cancer, a novel technique dubbed “cancer shredding” uses CRISPR to destroy tumor cells. Co-author of A Crack in Creation and the subject of Walter Isaacson’s bestseller The Code Breaker, Doudna will explore this profoundly powerful technology, its ethical implications and its breakthrough applications in agriculture, environment and medical science.