Jennifer Doudna

We live in a moment when the power to change the world often arrives before the wisdom to understand that power. CRISPR, a bacterial immunity process turned DNA editing tool, promises breakthroughs across scientific disciplines. But it also collapses long-standing boundaries between nature and human design. In this episode, Jennifer Doudna – Nobel Prize-winning chemist and founder of the Innovative Genomics Institute – reflects on the thrilling discovery of CRISPR as a gene-editing tool and what it means to suddenly possess the ability to edit the code of life itself. From the ongoing explosion of new opportunities to the shock of seeing ethical boundaries crossed in real time, is there a safe path forward in shaping the future of biological life as we know it? Subscribe to the Berggruen Institute on YouTube to be the first to listen to new Futurology episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@Berggrueninst Catch up on the Futurology conversation with full episodes on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyYCSKWs8iYgjg-mhu-EuhTrG0-adrb0c Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/futurology/id1821718921 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2I38HvHP6KlXrD5ysfygxk?si=XB2qyyGjT2ONMTd5XUKJAg&nd=1&dlsi=ac8cda6751834298 Mentioned in this Episode: The Double Helix — James D. Watson (Book, 1968) https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Double-Helix/James-D-Watson/9780743216302 The Pleasure of Finding Things Out — Richard P. Feynman (Book, 1999) https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/richard-p-feynman/the-pleasure-of-finding-things-out/9780465023951/ “The RNA World” — Walter Gilbert (Article, 1986) https://www.nature.com/articles/319618a0.pdf A Programmable Dual-RNA–Guided DNA Endonuclease in Adaptive Bacterial Immunity — Martin Jinek, Krzysztof Chylinski, Ines Fonfara, Michael Hauer, Jennifer A. Doudna, Emmanuelle Charpentier (Paper, 2012). https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1225829 “Generation of Gene-Modified Cynomolgus Monkey via Cas9/RNA-Mediated Gene Targeting in One-Cell Embryos” — Niu et al. (Paper, 2014) https://www.cell.com/fulltext/S0092-8674(14)00171-6 Infant with rare, incurable disease is first to successfully receive personalized gene therapy treatment – (Article, May 2025) https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/infant-rare-incurable-disease-first-successfully-receive-personalized-gene-therapy-treatment Human Genome Editing: Science, Ethics, and Governance — National Academies (Report, 2017) https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24623/human-genome-editing-science-ethics-and-governance “Can CRISPR Cut Methane Emissions From Cow Guts?” — UC Davis (Article, 2023) https://www.ucda

Let’s get right to the point: Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna is on the pod this week. Doudna won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry alongside Emmanuelle Charpentier for their work developing “a method for high-precision genome editing.” They, and others, helped usher in the CRISPR revolution with people getting very, very excited about the prospects of editing genes in humans, animals, and plants with more precision and ease. There have been some massive recent CRISPR wins. Casgevy, which treats sickle cell disease, emerged as the first FDA-approved CRISPR therapy. And, last year, an infant in Pennsylvania had a rare disease treated with record-breaking speed via CRISPR technology. That said, CRISPR has, in many ways, not lived up to the hope and hype just yet. CRISPR therapies remain expensive and tough to distribute throughout the body. Doudna is convinced that several major CRISPR breakthroughs are upon us, and we get into where she sees the field going. We discuss the work she’s doing at start-ups and the Innovative Genomics Institute – a research powerhouse that links UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, and UC Davis. And we talk about Pomona College, our shared alma mater, rejecting our wonderful, brilliant children who will no doubt go on to do amazing things in the world and likely make untold billions that will be donated to other tremendous institutions. JK. Chirp, chirp! If you want to get up to speed on gene editing’s present and future, you will not find a better discussion. The Core Memory podcast is on all major platforms and on our YouTube channel over here . If you enjoy the show, please leave a review and tell your friends. This podcast is sponsored by Brex, the intelligent finance platform built to help companies spend smarter and move faster. We run on Brex and so should you. Learn more about Brex right here . The podcast is also made possible by E1 Ventures , which backs the most ambitious founders (probably some peptide users) and start-ups. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.corememory.com/subscribe

In this special episode of The Future of Medicine, host Euan Ashley sits down with Jennifer Doudna, Nobel laureate and co-discoverer of CRISPR-Cas9, to explore the dramatic ascent of genome editing and what it means for the future of medicine. From the promise of precision therapy that could be “one-and-done” to the challenges of translating groundbreaking science into scalable treatments, this conversation dives deep into science, ethics, policy, and the art of communicating complex ideas to the public. What you’ll hear: A primer on the CRISPR revolution: how a discovery two decades ago has evolved into a potential deluge of targeted therapies. Precision therapy that’s more than a symptom fix: the idea of genome editing as a “precision surgery” that could cure diseases rather than require lifelong treatment. From one patient to many: the path from an N-of-1 success to scalable, population-wide strategies, including the role of the microbiome in health and disease. Real-world regulatory perspectives: how agencies are thinking about repeatable, off-the-shelf genome-editing tools and what it takes to translate a breakthrough into a therapy. The regulatory and scientific roadmaps: the steps scientists and clinicians must navigate to bring CRISPR-based therapies to patients rapidly and safely. The power and responsibility of storytelling: why scientists must improve public communication and how clear, non-jargony narratives can build trust. Combating misinformation: reflections on the moment when science is under scrutiny and how researchers can connect with diverse audiences. Guest bio: Jennifer Doudna is a pioneering biochemist and a leading figure in the CRISPR gene-editing revolution. As a founder of the Innovative Genomics Institute, her work has opened new frontiers in biology and medicine. Her research continues to shape how we think about disease mechanisms, therapy development, and the ethics of powerful new technologies. Why this episode matters : CRISPR technology is at a pivotal moment — one that could redefine what’s possible in medicine within a generation. This episode offers an insider’s view of where the science stands, what’s required to move from amazing results to real-world therapies, and how we, as a society, can navigate the opportunities and responsibilities that come with transformative science. Notes for listeners: Not a distant dream: the conversation highlights tangible progress toward therapies that could be delivered in months rather than years, with the potential to affect thousands of patients. A balanced view: along with the excitement, the episode addresses safety, ethics, and the essential role of clear communication in building public trust. Public-facing science: practical thoughts on how researchers can explain their work to non-scientists — helping to bridge the gap between the lab and everyday life. Call to action: If you enjoy The Future of Medicine, subscribe for more conversations with leading scientists shaping the next era of healthcare. Please rate and review the podcast to help others discover these important discussions. Share with friends and colleagues who are curious about how science becomes medicine.

Join a full house at the Sydney Opera House with Nobel winning scientist Jennifer Doudna and Big Ideas' presenter Natasha Mitchell to discuss the huge social, ethical, and scientific implications of the CRISPR gene editing revolution her groundbreaking discovery with Emmanuelle Charpentier and colleagues kicked off. From curative therapies to gene edited babies - will we use it to hack our own evolution - are we already? This event was presented in 2024 by the Sydney Opera House , Big Questions Institute (BQI), Sydney Writers’ Festival , UNSW Sydney . Original publication: 24 July 2024 Speaker: Professor Jennifer Doudna 2020 Nobel Prize for Chemistry co-winner Li Ka Shing Chancellor’s ChairProfessor, Departments of Chemistry and of Molecular and Cell BiologyFounder, Innovative Genomics Institute University of California, BerkeleyInvestigator, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteSenior investigator, Gladstone Institutes Further information and listens: Doudna Lab Jennifer Doudna in conversation with Natasha Mitchell at an event in 2018 World's first CRISPR gene edited babies born - are we ready?(2018 Science Friction episode with Natasha Mitchell) The CRISPR gene-edited babies and the doctor who made them - what really happened? (2019 Science Friction episode with Natasha Mitchell) Out of jail, is the CRISPR-baby scandal scientist at it again? (2023 Science Friction episode with Natasha Mitchell) Feral science or solution? Unleashing gene drives (Science Friction episode with Natasha Mitchell) Making happier animals? Gene editing in the farmyard (Science Friction episode with Natasha Mitchell) Hear Natasha Mitchell learn how to do CRISPR gene editing in 2016 (as part of a 4-part Earshot series The Hidden History of Eugenics, Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 ) The science and ethics of genome editing with Jennifer Doudna and Kevin Esvelt (video of event hosted by Natasha Mitchell in 2018) Natasha Mitchell's review of Siddhartha Mukherjee's The Gene: An Intimate History

For UC Berkeley’s Jennifer Doudna, the revolutionary discovery of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing began 15 years ago with a meeting at the campus’s Free Speech Movement Cafe. “This is a quintessential story about Berkeley,” begins Doudna, a professor of molecular and cell biology and of chemistry, in a lecture she gave on campus in April. “The research that I'll talk about today wouldn't have happened … if I had been working anywhere else. And that's because we have a really collaborative environment on our campus.” At the cafe, Doudna listened while a Berkeley colleague described a possible adaptive immune system in bacteria that helps them fight off viral infection. Doudna's lab went on to research the molecules involved, discovering a pathway that allows bacteria to "learn" about viruses, store the information and use it for protection. The scientists realized this same system could be used to trigger DNA repair in plant, animal and human cells, effectively allowing them to "rewrite the code of life." The seminal paper on CRISPR was published in 2012 by Doudna and her key collaborator, French microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier. The pair went on to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020. In this Berkeley Talks episode, Doudna discusses how CRISPR can be used to correct disease-causing genetic mutations, the impact that it's already having on people's lives and where she sees the technology going in the future. “We're in an era of programmable genome editing,” she says. “It's really exciting to see all the possible applications of this. We know that it can be safe and effective to treat and even to potentially cure human disease, and we need to continue to advance the technology so that it can be deployed more widely.” Not only will that require continual activity on the science and technology front, she adds, but also in developing appropriate guidelines and regulations to ensure that CRISPR’s applications move forward responsibly. Doudna’s talk took place on April 4 as part of Brilliance of Berkeley , a course offered every spring by the College of Letters and Science that celebrates the campus’s exceptional faculty and their accomplishments. Each week, students listen to two guest lectures by top Berkeley scholars from an array of fields, followed by a Q&A. Watch the video on the Brilliance of Berkeley YouTube page. Listen to the episode and read the transcript on UC Berkeley News (news.berkeley.edu/podcasts/berkeley-talks). Music by HoliznaCC0. Photo by Glenn Ramit/IGI . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Topol ( 00:05 ): Hello, it's Eric Topol from Ground Truths, and I've got some really exciting stuff to talk to you about today. And it's about the announcement for a new Center for pediatric CRISPR Cures. And I'm delight to introduce doctors Jennifer Doudna and Priscilla Chan. And so, first let me say this is amazing to see this thing going forward. It's an outgrowth of a New England Journal paper and monumental report on CRISPR in May . [See the below post for more context] Let me introduce first, Dr. Doudna. Jennifer is the Li Ka Shing Chancellor's Chair and a Professor in the departments of chemistry and of molecular and cell biology at the University of California Berkeley. She's also the subject of this book, one of my favorite books of all time, the Code Breaker . And as you know, the 2020 Nobel Prize laureate for her work in CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, and she founded the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) back 10 years ago. So Jennifer, welcome. Jennifer Doudna ( 01:08 ): Thank you, Eric. Great to be here. Eric Topol ( 01:10 ): And now Dr. Priscilla Chan, who is the co-founder of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) that also was started back in 2015. So here we are, a decade later, these two leaders. She is a pediatrician having trained at UCSF and is committed to the initiative which has as its mission statement, “ to make it possible to cure, prevent, and manage all diseases in this century. ” So today we're going to talk about a step closer to that. Welcome, Priscilla. Priscilla Chan ( 01:44 ): Thank you. Thanks for having me. Eric Topol ( 01:46 ): Alright, so I thought we'd start off by, how did you two get together? Have you known each other for over this past decade since you both got all your things going? Jennifer Doudna ( 01:56 ): Yes, we have. We've known each other for a while. And of course, I've admired the progress at the CZI on fundamental science. I was an advisor very early on and I think actually that's how we got to know each other. Right, Priscilla? Priscilla Chan ( 02:11 ): Yeah, that's right. We got to know each other then. And we've been crisscrossing paths. And I personally remember the day you won the Nobel Prize. It was in the heart of the pandemic and a lot of celebrations were happening over Zoom. And I grabbe

Jennifer Doudna changed the world. She didn’t do it intentionally. She pursued her curiosity about the structure and functioning of RNA as a research scientist, one who had been trained by some of the most impactful geneticists at the time, including two Nobel laureates. In the process, however, she and her collaborators discovered a genetic tool that has dwarfed all others for its potential to change both the human condition, but also what it may mean to be human. I am referring of course to CRISPR, the tool that Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier helped develop and for which they were awarded the Nobel Prize. In our in-depth conversation we covered the scientific origins of Jennifer’s discoveries, and some of their possible implications. In a time when there is a misplaced notion that support for scientific research needs to be applied directly for certain goal-oriented activities, it is refreshing to have such a clear example of the benefits of fundamental research for our society, along with the need to prepare our minds for the possibilities of the future. It is exactly what the Origins Podcast, and the Origins Project Foundation are designed to highlight—the joy, benefits, and challenges of human intellectual inquiry for our society and our future. It was a pleasure and privilege to spend 90 minutes discussing these issues with this world-renowned biochemist and advocate for science. Our conversation was both a tutorial about modern genetics, and also an opportunity to discuss issues that society as a whole will have address as we come to grips with the new power of science in this century. With great power comes great responsibility, and I hope discussions such as the one I had with Jennifer will provoke and enlighten. Enjoy. As always, an ad-free video version of this podcast is also available to paid Critical Mass subscribers. Your subscriptions support the non-profit Origins Project Foundation, which produces the podcast. The audio version is available free on the Critical Mass site and on all podcast sites, and the video version will also be available on the Origins Project YouTube. Get full access to Critical Mass at lawrencekrauss.substack.com/subscribe

Diving into a short story on scientist Jennifer Doudna and what I like to call the Obsession Test. Check out Walter Isaacson's book, The Code Breaker , for more on Doudna and how she is changing the world. ----- “I’m someone who’s thinking about science all the time. I’m always focused on what’s cooking in the lab, the next experiment, or the bigger question to pursue. I was always obsessed with what my next experiment was going to be.” - Jennifer Doudna ----- You can check support and stay connected below Website Book: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence Apparel Instagram X

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Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna made not just any scientific breakthrough, but uncovered a tool that promises unparalleled control over DNA - the core of existence teetering on the brink between amazing potential and great danger. Hear the fascinating discussion between Jennifer Doudna and Merlin Crossley as they discuss the mentors who fuelled her scientific passion, the collaborations that led to her incredible discoveries, her experience as a leading woman in STEM, and how her Innovative Genomics Institute is enabling equitable access to CRISPR technology. Presented by the UNSW Centre for Ideas and UNSW Science . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Doudna was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Professor Emmanuelle Charpentier for their pioneering work in CRISPR genome editing. The first genome editing therapy (Casgevy) was just FDA approved, only a decade after the CRISPR-Cas9 editing system discovery. But It’s just the beginning of a much bigger impact story for medicine and life science. Ground Truths podcasts are now on Apple and Spotify. And if you prefer videos, they are posted on YouTube Transcript with links to audio and relevant external links Eric Topol ( 00:06 ): This is Eric Topol with Ground Truths, and I'm really excited today to have with me Professor Jennifer Doudna, who heads up the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) at UC Berkeley, along with other academic appointments, and as everybody knows, was the Nobel laureate for her extraordinary discovery efforts with CRISPR genome editing. So welcome, Jennifer. Jennifer Doudna ( 00:31 ): Hello, Eric. Great to be here. Eric Topol ( 00:34 ): Well, you know we hadn't met before, but I felt like I know you so well because this is one of my favorite books, The Code Breaker . And Walter Isaacson did such a wonderful job to tell your story. What did you think of the book? My interview with Walter Isaacson on The Code Breaker , a book I highly recommend Jennifer Doudna ( 00:48 ): I thought Walter did a great job. He's a good storyteller, and as you know from probably from reading it or maybe talking to others about it, he wrote a page turner. He actually really dug into the science and all the different aspects of it that I think created a great tale. Eric Topol ( 01:07 ): Yeah, I recommended highly. It was my favorite book when it came out a couple years ago, and it is a page turner. In fact, I just want to read one, there's so many quotes out of it, but in the early part of the book, he says, “the invention of CRISPR and the plague of Covid will hasten our transition to the third great revolution of modern times. These revolutions arose from the discovery beginning just over a century ago, of the three fundamental kernels of our existence, the atom, the bit, and the gene.” That kind of tells a big story just in one sentence, but I thought I’d start with the IGI, the institute that you have set up at Berkeley and what its overall goals are. Jennifer Doudna ( 01:58 ): Right. Well, let's just go back a few years maybe to the origins of this institute and m

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