Genome editing, the start of a new era?

The new CRISPR-Cas9 technology, which was selected as the breakthrough of the year in 2015 by Science, allows introduction of changes in the genome without the addition of foreign genetic material. The applications are manifold, in medicine, and in the bio-sciences. Emmanuelle Charpentier, one of the discoverers of the technology, speaks at this open meeting, along with Ragnhild Eskeland and Olav Gjelsvik.

Bilde

Emmanuelle Charpentier

Emmanuelle Charpentier has described the possibilities of this technology as "mind blowing". With new possibilities come also the ethical and juridical questions. Are cells that have been changed using this technology, really gene modified, and therefore covered by current regulations? Or can the changes in their genome be compared to natural variation and selection?

Group 6 and 7 believe this topic has general interest for the Academy, as well as for a wider audience: Politicians, critics and the public. We therefore invite to an open meeting. The CRISPR-Cas9 technology is indeed revolutionary and may well be awarded a Nobel prize, perhaps already in 2017.

Emmanuelle Charpentier is professor at the Department of Regulation in Infection Biology Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin and Visiting Professor at Umeå University in Sweden.
Ragnhild Eskeland is Principal Investigator at the Department of Biosciences at the University of Oslo.
Olav Gjelsvik is professor of philosophy at the University of Oslo and Director at Center for the study of mind in nature.

Program:

17.30-18.00: Coffee
18.00-18.40: Emmanuelle Charpentier: Genome editing by CRISPR-Cas9: Bacterial origin and what is possible, and what may become possible.
18.40-18.50: Comments and questions from the audience
18.50-19.05: Ragnhild Eskeland: CRISPR-Cas9 unravels new knowledge about mammalian chromatin
19.05-19.20: Olav Gjelsvik: Ethics and uncertainty: some aspects.
19.20-19.45: General discussion
20.00: Dinner

Please note: the meeting is open to all, but the dinner requires registration.

The dinner is open to all members of the Academy. A fee of NOK 200 to cover part of the cost will be charged.

To register for the dinner, please fill in the form below and make a payment of 200 NOK to account number 1600 47 21288 by January 15th. Mark your payment with your name as well as the name of the event.

If you have any allergies or dietary restrictions please contact Gro Havelin at gro.havelin@dnva.no