2016 AAAS Annual Meeting (February 11-15, 2016)

February 10 - 15, 2016

Jennifer Doudna: The CRISPR-Cas9 Genome Editing Revolution

Professor of Chemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology University of California, Berkeley Dr. Jennifer Doudna uses structural biology and biochemistry to understand the function of catalytic and other non-protein-coding RNAs. Her groundbreaking work on the role of small RNAs in bacterial adaptive immunity provided insights into a set of biological pathways with profound implications for the way that genomes can be edited and re-engineered. In particular, the Doudna lab’s work on the CRISPR-associated (Cas) enzyme Cas9 revealed how this protein and its guide RNA can be used to change genetic information using RNA-programmed DNA cleavage. The CRISPR-Cas9 technology is being used in laboratories around the world to advance biological research by engineering cells and organisms in precise ways. Scientists expect that this fundamental technology will lead to the development of new therapeutics, biofuels, and agricultural products. Doudna earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Pomona College and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Harvard University. She completed postdoctoral work at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Doudna is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine. She was a Searle Scholar and has received numerous awards, including the Beckman Young Investigators Award, the NAS Award for Initiatives in Research, the Alan T. Waterman Award, the Lurie Prize in Biomedical Sciences from the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, and the Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research and Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, both shared with Emmanuelle Charpentier. In 2015, she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.