Unlike CRISPR, previous genetic engineering technologies were expensive and time-consuming. The ability to precisely edit the genome of nearly any organism 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. Kevin received his PhD from UC Berkeley in the lab of Jennifer Doudna, who is credited with co-developing CRISPR technology. Dr. Doudna has called for a public conversation over the use of gene editing in humans and the impact this technology may have on future generations.
This lecture is in celebration of Darwin Day. Few scientific discoveries have impacted how we understand our surroundings and ourselves more than Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. In honor of this contribution, we will celebrate Darwin’s birthday with a luncheon, starting at 12:15, and this scientific lecture about a topic that is not only important for science but for human welfare as well. There will be a charge for the luncheon but the lecture, starting at 1:00, is free.
This event is sponsored by the Humanists and Non-Theists of the Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco.