Controllable Genome Editing With Split-Engineered Base Editors

Base-editing systems have been hailed as safer alternatives to traditional CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, primarily because they can induce point mutations without creating double-stranded breaks.

Despite the clear potential of base editors systems in correcting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) - which cause a majority of human genetic diseases - a major stumbling block in the therapeutic application of base editors (BEs) is their off-target activity.

In a study published late last year in Nature Chemical Biology, a team of researchers from Associate Professor Rahul Kohli’s lab at the University of Pennsylvania reveal the first controllable base-editing system. In this webinar, lead author Kiara N. Berríos will present the group's work and findings on split-engineered base editors.

What will you learn from this webinar:

• Learn about the physiological functions and malfunctions of DNA deaminases
• Learn how the development of split-DNA deaminases allow for small molecule control over their activity for base editing applications and more
• Learn how regulation over DNA deaminase activity in split-engineered base editors decrease off-target effects and allow temporal control over genome editing

Tentative Webinar Programme:

• 15.00 Welcome and introduction by CRISPR Medicine News
• 15.05 Kiara N. Berríos, Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, USA | Controllable Genome Editing with Split-engineered Base Editors
• 15.50 Q & A with Kiara N. Berríos,
• 16.25 Close by CRISPR Medicine News

Speaker | Title:

Kiara N. Berríos, Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, USA | Controllable Genome Editing with Split-engineered Base Editors

CMN interview

Kiara N. Berríos, Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, USA

Kiara N. Berríos received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras campus in May 2016. In April 2022, she received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from the University of Pennsylvania where she studied the mechanism of DNA deaminases in base-editing systems under the mentorship of Rahul M. Kohli. During her Ph.D. research, Kiara was supported by an individual fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF-GRFP). She will soon join the laboratory of David R. Liu as a postdoctoral researcher.

Read our CMN interview with Dr. Berríos from 2021.