Following the landmark approval of the first CRISPR-based cell therapy in December 2023, the CRISPR community is looking ahead to the next wave of commercial successes, fueled by continued innovation in the development of new gene editing and delivery tools and technologies. Equally exciting advances are occurring in livestock editing, xenotransplantation, and many other specialties.

In The State of CRISPR and Gene Editing virtual summit, GEN proudly gathers a tantalizing line-up of luminaries from academia and industry to discuss the latest research developments, innovations, and advanced technologies that are expanding the CRISPR toolbox, delivering new therapies to patients and safeguarding our food supply.

Highlights of this summit include:

• An opening keynote from David Liu, PhD (Broad Institute) on the state of programmable genome editing, including new research on large-fragment gene editing. 
• A keynote conversation with Laura Sepp-Lorenzino, PhD (CSO Intellia) as her company advances a pair of landmark in vivo therapies in the clinic. 
• Talks on two cutting-edge areas of CRISPR-related biology—a new mechanism of anti-phage immunity from Sam Sternberg, PhD (Columbia) and the world of anti-CRISPRs with Joe Bondy-Denomy, PhD (UCSF). 
• The state of livestock gene editing—a panel discussion with Elena Rice, PhD (CSO, Genus plc) and Alison Van Eenennaam, PhD (UC Davis). 
• A fireside chat with the co-founders of Tome Biosciences, Omar Abudayyeh, PhD and Jonathan Gootenberg, PhD (Harvard Medical School) on programmable genome engineering and more. 
• A fireside chat with two leading genome engineers and co-founders of the non-profit Arc Institute—Patrick Hsu, PhD and Silvana Konermann, PhD. 
• Breakout sessions hosted by the summit sponsors – Aldevron, MaxCyte and SeqWell. 
• Closing remarks from The CRISPR Journal’s founding editorial team, Rodolphe Barrangou, PhD (Editor-in-Chief) and Kevin Davies, PhD (Executive Editor). 

Registration is free.

Produced with support from:

Guest Speakers Include

The past two years have seen exciting advances in the world of genomics, as several companies threaten to disrupt the next-gen sequencing (NGS) establishment. Meanwhile, advances in spatial omics, single-cell biology, proteomics and multiomics are revealing new insights into complex biology in health and disease.

In this 4-hour event—The State of Omics—leaders from the world of genome technology, analysis, NGS and multiomics offer a pulsating view of the rapid progress in this field. They will present on and discuss the arrival and application of groundbreaking new technologies that place the human genome into a richer biological context than ever before and offer a pulsating view of the rapid progress in this field.

Registration is free.

Produced with support from:

Biopharma companies are witnessing a sea change in disease treatment and, in some cases, the development of cures due to the rapid pace of advances in cell and gene therapy. With currently 27 FDA-approved gene and cell therapy products and a plethora of candidates in development and clinical trials, gene and cell therapies are some of the fastest growing and financially attractive additions to the biomedical toolkit.

In The State of Cell and Gene Therapy 2024, GEN proudly brings together a group of luminaries from industry and academia to discuss the latest research developments, innovations, and disruptive technologies that are impacting patients’ lives today and will spur cell and gene therapies to bigger and better things tomorrow. Among the highlights in this summit are:

• An opening keynote conversation with Peter Marks, MD, PhD (Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the FDA)
• A keynote presentation from gene therapy pioneer James Wilson, MD, PhD (UPenn)
• A panel on cell and gene therapy manufacturing and automation with a trio of CEOs Fabian Gerlinghaus (Cellares), Alexis Rovner (64x Bio), and Nabiha Saklayen (Cellino)
• Wide-ranging discussions on the state of cell and gene therapy with Kiran Musunuru, MD, PhD (UPenn/Verve Therapeutics), Adrian Woolfson MD, PhD (Replay)
• An exclusive interview with sickle cell CRISPR trial pioneer, Victoria Gray!

Registration is free.

Produced with support from:

Originally Aired: September 13, 2023
Time: 11:00 am – 4:00 pm ET

Despite the tough market conditions for the industry over the past 2–3 years, the biotechnology sector is poised for big things moving forward. Exciting advances in precision genome editing, cell therapy, synthetic biology, organs-on-chips, next-gen sequencing and artificial intelligence all bode well for the development of new therapies and the health of patients and the industry.

In The State of Biotech 2023—sponsored exclusively by Cytiva—GEN proudly brings together a host of luminaries from industry and academia to discuss the latest research developments, innovations and disruptive technologies that will spur biotech forward to bigger and better things.

Please join us on September 13 for an exciting program featuring:

• Opening keynote conversation with 2022 Nobel laureate Carolyn Bertozzi, PhD
• A keynote presentation from David Baker, PhD, (University of Washington/HHMI)
• Panel discussions on the state of CRISPR/genome editing and cell therapy
• Roundtables on the state of synbio and mRNA therapeutics
• A conversation on biotech business trends with the four co-hosts of the popular Biotech Hangout show
• Breakout sessions and much more

The State of Biotech 2023 is GEN’s flagship virtual event, following its successful introduction in 2022. Registration is entirely free.

Produced with support from:

Broadcast Date: February 28, 2023
Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm EST

On February 28, 1953, building on the unpublished experimental data of Rosalind Franklin, Francis Crick and James Watson revealed the iconic structure of the DNA double helix, a landmark event in the history of science. Many milestones have been celebrated over the ensuing 70 years, including the Human Genome Project, the tumbling cost of sequencing below $1,000, and just last year, the finished sequence of the human genome. Advances in the science and underlying technology of genomics are fueling exciting applications in basic research and the clinic, drug development and the study of human diversity.

Building on the success of GEN’s inaugural “State of Biotech” virtual summit last September, GEN is proud to host The State of Genomics & NGS, marking the 70^th anniversary of the completion of the double helix.

In this dynamic 4-hour event, leaders from the world of genome technology, analysis and next-gen sequencing offer a pulsating view of the rapid progress in this field, including the long-awaited complete sequencing of the human genome, the analysis of infectious diseases, and insights into where the next wave of genomic discovery will take place. We will also host a special presentation on the legacy of Francis Crick, in honor of the double helix 70^th anniversary.

Plus participate in state-of-the-art networking with fellow attendees – all through our dynamic virtual platform accessible on all devices, at home or on-the-go!

Originally Aired: September 21 – 22, 2022
Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm ET

This is a fascinating, exciting, and perplexing time for biotechnology. The industry delivered RNA vaccines to save countless lives during the pandemic and has created impressive early clinical results using CRISPR gene editing to treat patients with deadly genetic diseases. And yet the sector has been tarnished with safety concerns, drug failures, and lay-offs.

For more than 40 years, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) has been covering the world of biotechnology. This September, we covered it as never before – in a must-attend virtual event hosted by GEN Edge, the premium subscription news service of GEN.

THE STATE OF BIOTECH is an essential virtual summit (spanning two half days) featuring leaders from industry, academia, and finance discussing the latest critical breakthroughs, trends, and challenges in the biotech industry. The event featured presentations and conversations with a trove of biotech leaders and entrepreneurs, brilliant scientists and innovators, and renowned analysts and commentators. 

Among our guests:

• Jennifer Doudna (IGI/HHMI)
• Hana El-Samad (Altos Labs)
• John Evans (Beam Therapeutics)
• Andrew Hopkins (Exscientia)
• Peter Hotez (Baylor Coll Medicine)
• Daphne Koller (insitro)
• Bob Langer (MIT)
• Emily Leproust (Twist)
• David Mittelman (Othram)
• Fyodor Urnov (IGI)

In addition, we featured more than two dozen invited corporate showcase presentations, in which chief executives of groundbreaking biotech companies share their progress and goals (available on demand). Guests include BiomX, Deepcell, Element Bio, Insilico Medicine, Lexeo Therapeutics, Metagenomi, Oxford Nanopore, Pairwise, Seqster, and Synthekine.

View our on demand recording as the Editors of GEN and an all-star line-up of speakers and presenters analyzed the state of biotechnology circa 2022 – a celebration of innovation, emerging technologies, and clinical successes and an in-depth appraisal of the headwinds and challenges facing the industry.

Produced with support from:

Event Date: July 27, 2022
Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm ET

Advanced cell therapies continue to be a fantastic success story for both the biotech and life sciences industries, but most importantly for patients who have witnessed first-hand the lifesaving potential of these biotherapeutics. In addition, cell therapies are at the vanguard of many precision medicine initiatives, from off-the-shelf products designed to treat a broad range of patients, to personalized therapeutics that have been engineered to compliment patients’ genetics. Yet, with all their success comes the challenges that researchers face daily—donor access, scaling manufacturing operations, and safety, to name a few. Understanding the current cell therapy landscape and incorporating the lessons learned from previous successes and failures will allow the industry to keep pushing the limits of what’s possible scientifically while helping speed up new safe, efficacious therapies to market.

This GEN Summit has amassed an extraordinary selection of thought leaders to discuss the latest trends, newest technologies, and practical solutions to common challenges that face organizations devoting their time to cell therapy research. Our summit will kick off with an exciting keynote address from William Ho, President, CEO, and Co-Founder of IN8bio, which is focused on delivering a novel off-the-shelf cell therapy for the treatment of cancer. Together, during this half-day conference, we will discover the current state of the cell therapy space and hear about the amazing potential that many novel cell therapies have to truly impact patients’ lives.

Watch our exciting and immensely informative event!

Event Date: March 9, 2022
Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm ET

Drug discovery and recapitulation. Two words that are being used more frequently in recent days and in large part due to a fantastic bit of microengineering that has produced organ-on-chip systems. This biomimetic technology was designed to emulate human organs and their unique functional components—while simultaneously allowing investigators to measure responses to a wide array of potential therapeutic compounds. Organs-on-chips are genuinely one of the most transformative innovations that the life sciences have seen in the last decade and are expediting the drug development process, as well as integral in making it safer.

In this GEN Summit, we have assembled an outstanding group of experts to cover a broad range of topics centered around organs-on-chips. A highlight of this event will be a keynote presentation from Dr. Donald Ingber, the Founding Director of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, and the pioneer of organ-on-chip technology. During this half-day conference, we will discover together the current state of this disruptive science and how it is reshaping the traditional drug discovery paradigm.

Register today and reserve your seat for what is sure to be a truly informative and inspiring event!

Original Event Date: January 25-27, 2022
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm ET

The perseverance of women in science has been on full display this past year: they have made seminal scientific discoveries, taken up new leadership positions, started companies, and led the charge in the fight against COVID-19. The Rosalind Franklin Society celebrates these accomplishments, and many more, by recognizing, fostering, and advancing critical contributions from women in the life sciences and affiliated disciplines.

On January 25, 26, and 27 the Rosalind Franklin Society will host their annual end-of-year virtual conference co-sponsored by GEN. During this 3-day, complimentary event, we will hear insights from leaders in cutting-edge fields such as precision medicine and space exploration to large and small biotech industry leaders, as well as journalists, and new leadership in Washington. We know you will want to hear these presentations from prestigious scholars, authors, award winners, government leaders from NSF, OTPS, NASA, and the casting producer from Shark Tank!

To celebrate the life, work, and symbolic power of Dr. Franklin, the Society recognizes the work of outstanding women scientists, cultivates more significant opportunities for women in the sciences, and motivates and educates new generations of women who have this calling.