CRISPR Cuts

Imran House, Ph.D. and Junyun Lai Ph.D. are Senior Scientists at the biotech start-up, oNKo-Innate in Melbourne, Australia that focuses on developing immuno-oncology therapies. In this episode, they discussed what they do at oNKo-innate, their career transitions from leaving academics to entering the biotech industry, and how CRISPR is impacting cancer-immunotherapy development. They also discussed overcoming common obstacles faced when developing cytokine therapies and future outlooks on clinical trials using these kinds of therapies. Reach out and connect with both Imran and Junyun on social media platforms: Imran House, Ph.D. LinkedIn X: @ImranHouse Junyun Lai, Ph.D. LinkedIn X: @JunyunLai

Dr. Mark DeWitt Ph.D., Associate Director at Mammoth Biosciences, and Dr. Don Kohn M.D., distinguished professor and Director of the UCLA Human Gene and Cell Therapy Program and CIRM grantee sat down with us to discuss their latest clinical trials to cure sickle cell anemia, how synthetic guides accelerated their journey from the bench to the clinic, and their experience in the cell and gene therapy space.

Dina Simkin, Professor of Neurology at Northwestern University, joins us in this episode of CRISPR Cuts. Dr. Simkin talks about her path to becoming a researcher, art, and the importance of patient and isogenic iPSC models to study genetically linked forms of epilepsies.

Dr. Sunil Sharma and Dr. Raffaella Soldi of the Translational Genomics Research Institute chat about using CRISPR arrayed screens to identify novel drug targets for Ewing's Sarcoma, outlooks for the future of cancer therapies, and the Arizona heat.

Professor Stephanie Cherqui, UCSD, has worked on the development of cell therapies for two rare genetic diseases, cystinosis and Friedreich’s ataxia. In this interview, Dr. Cherqui chats about her experience working on rare diseases, developing a CRISPR-edited therapy for Friedreich's ataxia, navigating regulatory challenges in cell and gene therapies, and more.

Tune in to hear Christian Groendahl, CEO of SNIPR Biome, talk about CRISPR editing in prokaryotes, their novel E. coli-targeting CRISPR therapy trials, and his experiences and vision leading a start up.

In this episode, Bryan Dechairo, CEO of Sherlock Biosciences, talks about the impact of technology advances in the field of CRISPR diagnostics, his experiences leading Sherlock Biosciences, and his team’s mission of accessibility.

Dr. Ayal Hendel, a genome-editing pioneer and group leader at Bar Ilan University in Israel, was one of the first researchers to use modified synthetic sgRNA to edit primary cells with CRISPR. In this episode, Dr. Hendel shares his perspectives on the recent CRISPR advancements and his work on the bubble boy disease.

Jimi has dealt with sickle cell disease, a genetic disorder with serious implications, his entire life. Undergoing a CRISPR gene editing trial turned his hope for a cure into reality with promising results from the early phases. Tune in to learn about Jimi's journey in this episode.

TJ Cradick, Chief Scientific Officer at Excision Bio, discusses their CRISPR HIV therapy that recently proceeded into clinical trials in this episode and their ongoing work on other viral diseases.

After being diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer, Bryce Olson quickly learned the science behind it and has leveraged NGS to understand his tumor genomics and find opportunities in personalized therapies. Hear the patient perspective for the first time on our podcast through Bryce's narration of his experience and pursuit of next generation cell and gene therapies.

In this collaboration episode with NEB, we interview Dr. Neville Sanjana, a core faculty member at the New York Genome Center, about his recent publication in which chemically modified guide RNAs were used to enhance CRISPR-Cas13 knockdown in human cells.

In this episode, we chat with Dr. Kiana Aran, the CSO of Cardea Bio and associate professor at Keck Graduate Institute, who recently won the Nature Research Award for Inspiring Women in Science. Dr. Aran talks about her experience being a nominee and award winner, her early days and scientific journey, and the launch of her new non-profit, Aran Nebula.

We chatted with six female leaders in the CRISPR—Alison van Eenennaam, Ph.D., Kiana Aran, Christina Trojel-Hansen, Ph.D., Laura Lambert, Ph.D., Elena Miñones Moyano, Ph.D., and Samantha Maragh, Ph.D.— about their professional journeys. Tune in to this episode for a candid and honest discussion on a broad range of topics, including their experiences as women of color, life as working moms, adjusting in male-dominated fields, experiences being part of the LGBTQIA community, and the role of mentors in professional development.

In this CRISPR Cuts episode, Dr. Jesse Boehm, the Chief Scientific Officer of the Break Through Cancer Foundation and principal investigator at the Broad Institute, talks about his work on rare cancers. He also covers how CRISPR technology is transforming cancer research.

The Inducible Pluripotent Stem Cell Neurodegeneration Initiative (iNDI), an NIH effort, aims to standardize disease models for Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Hear the principal contributors, Dr. Michael E. Ward and Dr. Mark R. Cookson, scientists at the NIH, talk about the inception of the iNDI project, the challenges and opportunities, and the future of neurodegenerative research.

Prime editing is a new genome engineering tool that emerged just a couple of years back. Right from the get-go, this technology made waves as a potential alternative to CRISPR. Now, the first comparative study in mice is out. Dr. Joe Miano, Professor at the Augusta University in Georgia, talks about their collaborative work comparing traditional CRISPR-mediated homology-directed repair with prime editing in mice.

Did you know cassava can cause cyanide poisoning if it is not processed correctly and consumed with a protein-poor diet? In this episode, we chat with IGI researchers, Jess Lyons and Michael Gomez about their work on using CRISPR to reduce cyanide in cassava and improve its food safety.

Kevin Davies, the executive editor of The CRISPR Journal, has closely watched the genetics space evolve over the last decades. His expertise and experience were the perfect foundation for his latest book "Editing Humanity: The CRISPR Revolution and the New Era of Genome Editing." In this episode, Kevin discusses his motivation for the book, along with some behind-the-scenes stories when writing this timely literature piece.

In this episode, Michael Friend, CEO of Minority Coalition for Precision Medicine, discusses the lack of diversity in genome editing field and covers potential solutions for ensuring an inclusive future, particularly for black scientists.