Bio Eats World

Bio Eats World: Engineering an Epigenome Editor

Jonathan Weissman, Vijay Pande, and Lauren Richardson

Posted July 22, 2021

On today’s episode we are discussing the results and implications of a recent study that describes the creation of a new set of tools to turn off or on any region in the genome with high specificity. Host Lauren Richardson and a16z general partner Vijay Pande are joined by the senior author of the article, “Genome-wide programmable transcriptional memory by CRISPR-based epigenome editing”, Jonathan Weissman, Professor of Biology at the Whitehead Institute at MIT. Jonathan talks about how they developed these tools using the CRISPR gene editor as a backbone, the advantages of modulating the epigenome as opposed to the genome, and the various applications — both in the lab and in the clinic — for these epigenome editors.

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Between the growing ability to engineer biology for therapeutics, and the integration of tech into how patients receive care, bio and health are fundamentally changing the world. Join the team at a16z and host Olivia Webb as they discuss these transformations with scientists, builders, and leaders.

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