CRISPR – CSU and the Future of Gene Editing
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According to a December 2015 NPR article, “In the three short years since the first scientific papers appeared about CRISPR-Cas9, the technique has been "spreading like wildfire," says Ramesh Akkina, a molecular immunologist at Colorado State University.” This week CSU’s Vice President for Research, Dr. Alan S. Rudolph, will join us to share the state of CRISPR technology, and CSU’s involvement in the research. CRISPR allows scientists to edit genomes with unprecedented precision, efficiency, and flexibility and the potential to transform the field of biology and life in general. More recently it has become available for anyone - An October 2016 Google search returned 4.4M hits, with the first 4 being ads for common/public use, one costing only $119. The past few years have seen a flurry of CRISPR “firsts”, from creating monkeys with targeted mutations to preventing HIV infection in human cells. Also being discussed are the ethical aspects, including the possibility of ‘designer babies’.
Dr. Rudolph is a former member of senior executive service leading the US Biodefense, Biosecurity and Biotechnology programs at Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. Dr. Rudolph has had an active career in translating interdisciplinary life sciences into useful applications for biotechnology development. His experience spans basic research to advanced development in academia, government laboratories, and most recently in the nonprofit and private sectors. He has published more than 100 papers, 15 patents, and started two biotechnology companies in areas including molecular biophysics, lipid self-assembly, drug delivery, blood substitutes, medical imaging, tissue engineering, neuroscience, and diagnostics