Wrapping up CRISPRMED25, and Gearing up for CRISPRMED26

As the dust settles on another fantastic CRISPRMED conference, we look back on some of the highlights from four exciting days of scientific dissemination and collaboration.

The CRISPRMED25 in-person conference brought together nearly 400 participants from 34 countries to engage in world-class science, critical discussions, and inspirational stories from those directly impacted by gene-editing technology.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural event held in the beautiful former market hall Øksnehallen, CRISPRMED25 highlighted how rapidly the gene-editing field is advancing—from basic research to clinical applications that are changing patients' lives.

Life with sickle cell disease before, during and after CASGEVY: Jimi Olaghere's story

A standout feature of CRISPRMED25 was the inclusion of a patient perspective. Jimi Olaghere, a recipient of CASGEVY (the first approved CRISPR therapy), shared his moving journey with sickle cell disease and his experience with gene-editing treatment.

Jimi's powerful first-hand account provided a compelling real-world demonstration of CRISPR technology's life-changing potential and importantly highlighted the urgent need for increased accessibility to these treatments worldwide.

Keynote address: Professor Virginijus Šikšnys

We were privileged to welcome Professor Virginijus Šikšnys as our keynote speaker this year. As one of the pioneering researchers who made essential early discoveries about how CRISPR works in bacteria, Professor Šikšnys delivered an illuminating address on the journey "From Bacterial Immunity Towards Genome Editing and Beyond."

His talk provided valuable insights into both the history and future path for gene-editing technologies, addressing some of the most important challenges facing the field while highlighting the vast potential of newly and yet-to-be discovered enzymatic functions.

Scientific programme highlights

The diverse scientific programme for CRISPMED25 aimed to provide a broad picture of the therapeutic field. Several key themes emerged, including the expanding clinical applications of gene-editing therapies, innovations in delivery systems overcoming crucial barriers to in vivo editing, the continued emphasis on safety and precise characterisation of gene-editing outcomes, and the importance of democratising access to gene-editing technologies.

For those interested in a comprehensive day-by-day account of all the oral sessions, a detailed overview was published in last week's CMN Weekly (11 April 2025).

Pioneering foundations to modern applications

CRISPRMED25’s first official oral session traced the history of genome editing, with Dr. Dana Carroll (University of Utah) and Dr. Srinivasan Chandrasegaran (John Hopkins University) mapping the path from ZFNs and TALENs to CRISPR/Cas9.

Shifting track, Dr. Thorsten Stafforst (University of Tübingen) demonstrated how RNA editing using endogenous ADAR offers a promising alternative that bypasses permanent DNA modifications, while Philipp Kamm (BioSpring) highlighted critical manufacturing challenges in sgRNA production. Dr. Kiana Aran (UCSD and CRISPR QC) presented an innovative electronic-based analytical platform for precision monitoring of CRISPR reagents and gene-editing efficiency.

This session highlighted how protein engineering breakthroughs paved the way for today's RNA-guided precision tools, setting the stage for later discussions on clinical applications.

Access to CRISPR Medicine

Wednesday's panel discussion on "Patient Access to CRISPR Medicine" brought together diverse voices, including patient advocate Jimi Olaghere, Alvin Luk (CEO, HuidaGene Therapeutics), Cecilia Jimenez-Mallebrera (Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu), Liselotte Wesley Andersen (Rare Diseases Denmark), Kevin Holden (Synthego), and notably, Søren Jarl Christensen, father of 7-year-old August who is currently waiting to receive an experimental therapy for SPG50 (hereditary spastic paraplegia), an ultra-rare genetic disease.

Moderated by Daniël Warmerdam (UMC Amsterdam), this discussion explored critical barriers to access—from regulatory hurdles and pricing models to manufacturing scalability—highlighting the profound personal impact of gene-editing therapies and the importance of ensuring they reach those who need them most.

Democratising genetic medicine

A special session co-organised by Thomas O. Auer (University of Fribourg, Switzerland and TReND in Africa) and Vincenzo Di Donato (ZeClinics and TReND in Africa) highlighted the urgent need to advance equitable access to genetic technologies in research and healthcare.

Segun Fatumo (Queen Mary University of London) illustrated the massive underrepresentation of African populations in genomics research, emphasising that expanding genomic research in Africa is not only an issue of equity but also essential for improving global healthcare outcomes.

Networking and community building

Beyond the scientific programme, CRISPRMED25 offered opportunities for networking and community building. Early morning fun runs sponsored by Vivlion brought together attendees for a refreshing start to conference days, while evening social events provided opportunities to relax after intense sessions. Several participants reported that these networking opportunities led to potential new collaborations to be explored.

An Exhibitor Evening allowed attendees to learn about the latest gene-editing tools and related technologies over snacks and drinks, where a lot of fun was had by everyone that took part! And on that note, CRISPRMED25 would not have been possible at all without the generous support of our sponsors and partners, whose contributions were invaluable—so a massive thank you to all.

GenE-HumDi COST Action educational workshops

CRISPRMED25 featured a series of interactive workshops co-organised with the GenE-HumDi COST Action.

The "Tools" workshop led by Professor Francisco Martin and Julián Cerón Madrigal guided participants through genome-editing technologies from ZFNs and TALENs to the latest base and prime-editing techniques. Professor Yonglun Luo and Amalie Lykke Olsen led a workshop on "Navigating the CRISPR Delivery Landscape," while Dr. Carla Fuster and Dr. Laura Torella focused on pre-clinical safety analyses.

These small-group sessions promoted "learning by doing" rather than just listening to conventional lectures, allowing participants to engage with case studies under the guidance of experts.

Poster winners and WeDoCRISPR flash talk competition

Congratulations to our four poster prize winners, sponsored by Frontiers in Genome Editing:

• 1st Prize: Eve Stalker, PhD student (University of Cambridge) for "Identifying epigenetic features that influence Cas9-mediated translocations"
• 2nd Prize: Kristoffer Haurum Johansen, Postdoc (DTU - Technical University of Denmark) for "Antigen-scaffold-mediated expansion of CRISPR CAR- and TCR-T cells generates highly enriched, efficacious T-cell products"
• 3rd Prize: Franziska Bächler, Legal Scholar (University of Basel) for "Democratizing CRISPR in its public-private ecosystem"
• 4th Prize: Petros Patsali, Associate Scientist (The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics) for "Preclinical validation of CRISPR/Cas genome editing approaches as advanced therapy for HBBIVSI-110(G>A) thalassaemia"

The WeDoCRISPR Flash Talk Competition challenged researchers to present genome-editing research in just three minutes to a diverse judging panel of high school students in Copenhagen and scientific experts. This format aimed to increase youth awareness of genome-editing technologies while improving researchers' communication skills. Martina Franchini from the University of Bern won for her clear and fun presentation on chemotherapy resistance in cancer, demonstrating effective scientific communication without compromising on the science.

Thanks to all who took part in the poster sessions. All winners will receive complimentary registration to CRISPR Medicine Conference 2026!

Watch out for CRISPRMED26!

As we look back on CRISPRMED25, we're already excited about CRISPR Medicine Conference 2026!

On behalf of the entire CRISPR Medicine News team, thank you for being part of this thriving community dedicated to advancing gene-editing therapy. The collaborative spirit, cutting-edge science, and commitment to improving patients' lives were evident throughout CRISPRMED25, and we can't wait to see what breakthroughs will shape next year's conference.

See you at CRISPRMED26!

You can read a summary of the CRISPRMED25 virtual event, held on 7th April 2025, here.