Engineering the Future of Gene therapy

George Church is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Director of PersonalGenomes.org, which provides the world’s only open-access information on human Genomic, Environmental & Trait data (GET). His 1984 Harvard PhD included the first methods for direct genome sequencing, molecular multiplexing & barcoding. These led to the first genome sequence (pathogen, Helicobacter pylori) in 1994. 

His innovations have contributed to nearly all “next generation” DNA sequencing methods and companies (CGI-BGI, Life, Illumina, Nanopore). This plus his lab’s work on chip-DNA-synthesis, gene editing and stem cell engineering resulted in founding additional application-based companies spanning fields of medical diagnostics (Knome/PierianDx, Alacris, AbVitro/Juno, Genos, Veritas Genetics) & synthetic biology / therapeutics (Joule, Gen9, Editas, Egenesis, enEvolv, WarpDrive). He has also pioneered new privacy, biosafety, ELSI, environmental & biosecurity policies. He is director of an IARPA BRAIN Project and NIH Center for Excellence in Genomic Science. His honors include election to NAS & NAE & Franklin Bower Laureate for Achievement in Science. He has coauthored 514 papers, 143 patent publications & one book (Regenesis).

W. Martin Kast, PhD holds the Richter Cancer Research Chair and is a Professor of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Urology and the Associate Dean of Academic Integrity as well as the Director of the Immune Monitoring Core Facility and the Tumor Micro-Environment Program at the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles, CA. He studies cancer and viral immunology and designs therapeutic cancer vaccines. Several of his cancer immunotherapies are in clinical trials.

He has published over 275 articles that have been referenced > 23,000 times leading to an h-index of 82. He is the inventor on 18 patents and in the past worked for a biotechnology company. He is a recipient of the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Mellon, Landsteiner and Dornsife awards. He currently serves on the advisory board of 7 biotechnology companies.

John Rossi has explored the mechanisms of action and therapeutic applications of RNAs for the treatment of HIV-1 and other diseases for the past 25 years. After earning his Ph.D. in Microbial Genetics from University of Connecticut, CT, and conducting a three-year post-doc at Brown University, Dr. Rossi began his professional career as a research scientist in 1980 in the Department of Molecular Genetics, City of Hope, Duarte, CA. He later went on to become director of the department and chairman of the Division of Biology at City of Hope, as well as chair and dean of the Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences.

During his career, Dr. Rossi has held various professorships at City of Hope, Loma Linda University and University of California, Riverside. An AAAS Fellow in Medical Sciences, Dr. Rossi also serves on the editorial boards of numerous prestigious science publications. Dr. Rossi has published nearly research 300 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and is the current Editor in Chief of Nature Publication’s Molecular Therapies – Nucleic Acids.

With over 50 years dedicated to research in the life sciences, Jim Cleaver has established himself as a first-rate authority in the fields of radiotherapeutics and dermatology. Dr. Cleaver earned his Ph.D. in radiotherapeutics from University of Cambridge in 1964, after which he worked as a researcher at Harvard Medical School and later at UCSF.

In 1968, Dr. Cleaver began his first of many professorships at UCSF in the Department of Radiobiology. Over the course of his career, Dr. Cleaver has published nearly 300 peer-reviewed articles, and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. For the past 30 years, Dr. Cleaver has concentrated his research on genetic regulation of the mechanism of DNA damage and repair from radiations and chemical carcinogens. Cleaver’s findings have long since expanded beyond the realm of skin cancer, having strong influences on the modern concept of cancer.

Nils Walter is a biophysical chemist and Francis S. Collins Collegiate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Dr. Walter graduated summa cum laude from the Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany, with his Ph.D. in biophysical chemistry. During his graduate studies, Dr. Walter was concurrently enrolled at the Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in the lab of Nobel laureate Prof. Manfred Elgen.

Dr. Walter’s lab studies both non-coding RNA and protein-coding RNAs, prominently using single molecule and super-resolution fluorescence microscopy tools, a scientific realm in which he is considered to be at the forefront. Dr. Walter has served on numerous editorial boards, received a multitude of grants, and was recently elected as a member of the AAAS. Dr. Walter is the author of over 160 articles and four patents.

Kevin Morris has been a luminary in RNA research for the past decade. As the first to recognize unique properties of non-coding RNA, Dr. Morris has since become a global leader within the field. Morris earned his B.S. in Cellular/Molecular Biology from Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA and his Ph.D. in Comparative Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology from UC Davis in California.

Formerly an associate professor at the Scripps Research Institute, Dr. Morris currently serves as a professor within the Center for Gene Therapy, Hematologic Malignancies and Stem Cell Institute at City of Hope, Duarte, CA. Dr. Morris’ lab is currently investigating the potential of RNA therapy to control and repress genes. With extensive experience in gene regulation and activation, Dr. Morris is well positioned to make further, far-reaching contributions to the field.

Geoff Sargent is a career scientist and healthcare executive with extensive experience in life science research and biotechnology business development. Dr. Sargent has worked with several early-stage biotechnology companies, including Pangene and EgCell Scientific. As Associate Director and Sr. Scientist at Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), Dr. Sargent managed the opening of the West Coast ACT laboratory, recruited and managed staff, led research teams, and co-authored numerous CIRM grants. While VP of R&D at EgCell, Dr. Sargent directed fundraising and commercialization efforts.

More recently, Dr. Sargent worked as a senior scientist at UCSF, developing novel gene therapy approaches. Dr. Sargent has published over 20 scientific articles in the fields of Gene Targeting, DNA Repair & Mutagenesis, Embryonic Stem Cells, and DNA Metabolism.