CRISPR, A New Genetic Engineering Technology: Promises and Perils

Annual Darwin Day Celebration

Genetic engineering technologies, prior to CRISPR, were expensive and time-consuming.  CRISPR has resulted in the ability to precisely edit the genome of nearly any organism, and consequently, has revolutionized biology, medicine, and agriculture. From curing deadly genetic disorders to engineering drought-resistant plants, CRISPR genome editing technology will reshape modern medicine and equip us with tools to cope with a changing planet. Dr. Kevin Doxzen will unravel this groundbreaking technology and outline pressing questions that society is now forced to confront.  We can now engineer humans, but should we?

Dr. Kevin Doxzen is the Science Communications Specialist at the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI). The IGI is an academic research partnership between UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco that aims to develop and deploy DNA engineering technologies to solve real-world problems.

This lecture will follow a Darwin Day luncheon which starts at 12:15.  The lecture starts at 1:00 and is free.  There is a charge for the luncheon.  Everyone is welcome.  We'll be in the Thomas Starr King Room.