#198 CRISPR Ethics with Sam Sternberg

We have two special announcements! Very soon we will be celebrating a decade of DNA Today! That’s right, we released our first episode on September 1st, 2012. It also coincides with our 200th episode. We want to mark these milestones with you on the show. So send in your favorite episode. You can write it, or better yet, record a 30-60 second voice memo sharing your favorite episode and why you enjoy listening to the show. After all, our podcast would not be possible without you loyal listeners. That’s why we want to celebrate together! Send in your voice memo or written message about your fav episode of DNA Today to [email protected]. Deadline is August 27th. Thank you to all you listeners for nominating us in the Podcast Awards, you did it! We have officially been nominated. It’s year number 6 being nominated and it might be our third time winning the Best Science and Medicine Podcast Award. BUT that’s only going to happen if you check your email inbox for an email from The Podcast Awards with the subject line, “Podcast Awards Final Slate Voting”'. If you got this email you are one of the few that were selected to be a voter. It’s imperative that you vote! There is a hyperlink to click to get to the voting page. You do have to quickly log back in. Once you do, select DNA Today in the “Science and Medicine category”, select your other fav podcasts and then Hit the “Save Nominations” button. It’s that easy. You have until September 10th to do this, but please do it now if you got the email so you don’t forget! Our guest this week is Dr. Sam Sternberg, who is a protein-RNA biochemist and CRISPR expert. He runs a research laboratory at Columbia University, where he is an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. Sam's lab explores the biology of CRISPR-Cas systems and transposable elements, and develops these systems for genome engineering. In addition to publishing his research in leading journals and speaking internationally, Sam remains actively involved in public outreach and ongoing discussions on the ethical issues surrounding genome editing. Together with Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna, he co-authored a popular science book about the discovery, development, and applications of CRISPR technology. Titled A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution, which chronicles the development of CRISPR and explores bioethical aspects of the technology. Their book was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and The New York Review of Books called it “required reading for every concerned citizen.” Sam received his B.A. in Biochemistry from Columbia University in 2007 and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 2014. He earned graduate student fellowships from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense, and was awarded the Scaringe Award from the RNA Society and the Harold Weintraub Graduate Student Award from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Sam worked as a Scientist and Group Leader at Caribou Biosciences before beginning his independent position at Columbia in 2018, and he is the recipient of the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, and is a Sloan Fellow, Pew Biomedical Scholar, and Schaefer Research Scholar. On This Episode We Discuss: Safety, ethical, regulatory considerations for using CRISPR technology Off target effects Working directly with Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Jennifer Doudna The 3 major areas of CRISPR applications Fertility research Animal studies Human genetics Enter our giveaway for your own copy of A Crack In Creation through our social media! For updates on the Sternberg lab, visit their website or follow Sam on Twitter and LinkedIn! You can also read one of his most recent papers on the profiling of CRISPR RNA-guided transposition products here. Stay tuned for the next new episode of DNA Today on August 26th, 2022! New episodes are released on Fridays. In the meantime, you can binge over 195 other episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, streaming on the website, or any other podcast player by searching, “DNA Today”. Episodes since 2021 are also recorded with video which you can watch on our YouTube channel. DNA Today is hosted and produced by Kira Dineen. Our social media lead is Corinne Merlino. Our video lead is Amanda Andreoli. See what else we are up to on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and our website, DNApodcast.com. Questions/inquiries can be sent to [email protected]. PerkinElmer Genomics is a global leader in genetic testing focusing on rare diseases, inherited disorders, newborn screening, and hereditary cancer. Testing services support the full continuum of care from preconception and prenatal to neonatal, pediatric, and adult. Testing options include sequencing for targeted genes, multiple genes, the whole exome or genome, and copy number variations. Using a simple saliva or blood sample, PerkinElmer Genomics answers complex genetic questions that can proactively inform patient care and end the diagnostic odyssey for families. Learn more at PerkinElmerGenomics.com. (SPONSORED)