Genome Engineering Pioneers Gather at Berkeley

From left, Jon Chesnut (Life), Susan Marqusee, Alan Sachs (Life), George Church, Rudolf Jaenisch, Keith Joung, Dirk Hockemeyer, Jennifer Doudna, Jonathan Weissman, Craig Mello, Feng Zhang, and Steve Laderman (Agilent).
From left, Jon Chesnut (Life), Susan Marqusee, Alan Sachs (Life), George Church, Rudolf Jaenisch, Keith Joung, Dirk Hockemeyer, Jennifer Doudna, Jonathan Weissman, Craig Mello, Feng Zhang, and Steve Laderman (Agilent).

New discoveries in genome engineering continue to emerge at a breakneck pace. Some of the world’s leading experts met at UC Berkeley’s second annual Re-writing Genomes symposium on August 25 to explore how genome-editing technologies promise to transform basic research as well as biomedical engineering.

Berkeley faculty members and QB3 faculty affiliates Dirk Hockemeyer and Jennifer Doudna organized the meeting to highlight new research in the area, which offers precise genetic manipulation and novel approaches for tackling human disease.

“We wanted to showcase the power of modern genetics and the diverse applications for genome engineering,” said Hockemeyer. He noted that the small, focused character of the event attracts the leaders of the field to share novel ideas and present exciting new data, “which makes the meeting open and unique, fitting perfectly into the scientific spirit here at Berkeley.”

Held in UC Berkeley’s Li Ka Shing Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences and hosted by QB3-Berkeley and the Innovative Genomics Initiative (IGI), the symposium sold out in the first 24 hours and drew more than 300 people for the main auditorium as well another hundred in overflow rooms. Agilent Technologies and Life Technologies sponsored the event.

During breaks, attendees enjoyed a poster session, with poster prizes donated by IGI at the end of the day.
During breaks, attendees enjoyed a poster session, with poster prizes donated by IGI at the end of the day.

Related links
Re-writing Genomes program (pdf)
Dirk Hockemeyer Lab
Jennifer Doudna Lab
Innovative Genomics Initiative
Agilent Technologies
Life Technologies