The post Nobel Winner Katalin Karikó Shared mRNA Vaccine Story with <i>GEN</i>, Mid-Pandemic appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

The post Bioprocessing in Beantown: GEN Reports Live from Day 2 at BPI appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

The post Boston and Bioprocessing: GEN Reports Live from the First Day at BPI appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

In this episode of Close to the Edge from GEN, senior editor Jonathan D. Grinstein, PhD, speaks with Fyodor Urnov, PhD, a pioneer in the field of genome editing. Urnov is a professor of molecular and cell biology at UC Berkeley, the scientific director of technology and translation at the Innovative Genomics Institute in Berkeley, California, and a co-founder of Tune Therapeutics, one of several biotechs exploring epigenome editing. The conversation goes into great detail about Urnov’s background in epigenomics and genome editing, including his time at Sangamo, where his team coined the term “genome editing” in 2005. It then discusses his vision for “CRISPR cures on demand” and the obstacles that currently stand in the way. Urnov also provides insight into the origin story of Tune Therapeutics and how this epigenome editing company stacks up against more recent entrants.

The post Perfect Pitch: Genome Editing Pioneer Fyodor Urnov on Commercializing CRISPR Therapies and Epigenomic Tuning appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

The post Excitement in Oakland: A Report from SynBioBeta appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

As CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), King has focused in recent months on stabilizing the leadership and direction of the 1,000-plus member industry group, where the long tenure of Jim Greenwood was followed by the relatively short tenure of Michelle McMurry Heath, MD—about two years, ending last October.

King is also leading BIO’s ramp-up toward its 2023 BIO International Convention, to be held June 5-8 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, and overseeing the organization’s response to a series of challenges to the industry. These challenges range from articulating industry’s perspective on pricing prescription drugs following enactment of the “Inflation Reduction Act” last year, to preserving access to the most widely used abortion pill, mifepristone in the face of a court challenge by opponents of abortion rights.

King is a former chair of BIO, and previously served as CEO of GlycoMimetics, a late clinical-stage biotechnology company she co-founded. GlycoMimetics focuses on discovering and developing glycobiology-based therapies for cancers and inflammatory diseases.

Before GlycoMimetics, King was a one-time Entrepreneur in Residence at venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Speaking with GEN senior business editor Alex Philippidis, Rachel recounts her multi-faceted career in biotech, and assesses the industry’s progress and continuing challenges in ensuring federal funding for basic research, advancing newer technologies such as synthetic biology and cell and gene therapy; and diversifying the industry’s workforce.

The post BIO CEO Rachel King Outlines Industry’s Challenges on “Close to the Edge” appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

For more than a month, Icahn has offered persistent criticism of Illumina’s current board led by chairman John W. Thompson, and the company’s management led by CEO Francis deSouza.

[ Click the lower right icon to view fullscreen with transcript ^ ]

Icahn’s arguments include:

• Illumina’s effort to acquire cancer blood test developer Grail despite opposition from U.S. and European regulators, which he says has drained the company of resources.
• Also, Illumina’s shrinking stock price—The company has lost some $50 billion in market capitalization—that’s the share price times the number of outstanding shares of a public company.
• He has also cited the board’s near doubling of CEO Francis deSouza’s total compensation last year, to nearly 27 million dollars, much of that increase based on stock options.

Icahn elaborates on these and other arguments at length, and discusses how he plans to move Illumina forward with GEN senior business Editor Alex Philippidis on a special episode of GEN’s “Close to the Edge.” Joining Icahn on the episode is one of his three nominees to Illumina’s board, Andrew J. Teno, a portfolio manager at Icahn Capital since October 2020.

Along with Teno, Icahn has also nominated to Illumina’s board Jesse A. Lynn, general counsel of Icahn Enterprises; and Vincent J. Intrieri, founder and CEO of VDA Capital Management, a private investment fund, and a former Icahn employee from 1998–2016.

Illumina has rejected the three as lacking the qualifications and experience it seeks in board members, and has defended its pursuit of Grail under deSouza.

Icahn is the CEO of Icahn Capital, LP, a wholly owned subsidiary of Icahn Enterprises LP, through which he manages various private investment funds. Icahn Enterprises is a Nasdaq-listed holding company engaged in businesses that include investment, energy, automotive, food packaging, real estate and home fashion.

The post Carl Icahn States His Case for Change at Illumina on “Close to the Edge” appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Green has been a key player in the field of genomics for decades. He held a pivotal role in the completion of the Human Genome Project and succeeded Francis Collins, MD, PhD, as head of NHGRI in 2009.

In this conversation, Green tells Kevin Davies, PhD, how the state of genomics is both exhilarating (because of all that has been accomplished) and challenging (in a good way) because of how hard people are working to tackle big questions and advance to the next stage.

He emphasizes how next-generation sequencing technologies are changing the game, the challenge of how to handle the massive amounts of data they generate, integrating genomics into healthcare, pangenomes, and the importance of focusing on diversity.

The post Celebrating DNA Day: An Interview with Eric Green on “The State of Genomics” appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Cobb is not only an expert in olfaction in maggots, but he is also a scholar of the early history of molecular biology, and has written multiple books on the topic. Here, he talks to GEN about the discovery of the double helix, the legacy of Francis Crick, the role that Rosalind Franklin played in the process, and his most recent book, As Gods, which looks to the future—and the potential perils—of genetic engineering.

For a transcript of the conversation, please check out the original post from February of this year.

The post Celebrating DNA: Matthew Cobb’s Reflections on the Double Helix appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

The post Food For Thought: Final Report from the AGBT Ag Meeting appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.