On Friday, February 4th @ 11:00AM ET, we welcome Prof. Charles Gersbach from Duke University as he presents, "Genome Engineering Technologies for Gene Therapy and Functional Genomics."

ABOUT THE SEMINAR

Genome Engineering Technologies for Gene Therapy and Functional Genomics

The advent of genome engineering technologies, including the RNA-guided CRISPR/Cas9 system, has enabled the precise targeting of genomic locations with molecular machinery. We have adapted and applied these tools to robustly and precisely manipulate gene expression, program the epigenome, annotate the function of the non-coding genome, and control cell fate decisions. Specifically, we have engineered CRISPR/Cas9-based tools to regulate the expression of endogenous genes and applied these tools to control diverse genes relevant to disease, development, and differentiation. We have applied these technologies to control the decisions of stem cells to become specific cell fates and reprogram cell types into other lineages for drug screening, disease modeling, and in vivo tissue regeneration. Genome-wide screens of epigenetic modulation of target gene expression have enabled the discovery of novel distal regulators of target gene expression and modulators of cell fate commitment.  We have used in vivo epigenome editing to alter expression of genes associated with complex disease phenotypes. We also developed new transgenic mice carrying inducible dCas9-based transcriptional activators and repressors to enable study of function and regulation of genes and non-coding regulatory elements in diverse tissues and cell types. Collectively, these studies demonstrate the potential of modern genome engineering technologies to capitalize on the products of the Genomic Revolution and transform medicine, science, and biotechnology.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Charles A. Gersbach, Ph.D., John W. Strohbehn Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University; Director, Duke Center for Advanced Genomic Technologies; Director, Duke Center for Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering

Dr. Charles A. Gersbach received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and completed postdoctoral training at The Scripps Research Institute. His research interests are in genome and epigenome editing, gene therapy, regenerative medicine, biomolecular and cellular engineering, synthetic biology, and genomics.  His work has led to new approaches to study genome structure and function, program cell biology, and treat genetic disease. Dr. Gersbach’s work has been recognized through awards including the National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award, the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the Outstanding New Investigator Award from the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, the Allen Distinguished Investigator Award, and induction as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He is also the co-founder of three biotechnology companies and an advisor to several others.

ABOUT THE 2021-2022 BME SEMINAR SERIES

The Department of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University is proud to host an annual weekly seminar series on the latest developments and research in Biomedical Engineering. The weekly series takes place on Friday mornings at 11:00AM Eastern and includes a variety of renowned academics from top universities to talk about their specific research and experience. This is a hybrid event.