The University of California Berkeley and UC San Francisco announced this week the launch of the Laboratory for Genomics Research, in which scientists from both institutions will use CRISPR gene editing technology to conduct research to aid in British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline's drug discovery efforts.
Researchers at the lab, located near UCSF's Mission Bay campus, will explore how various gene mutations cause disease. In doing so, they will identify potential new drug targets, as well as specialized technologies and biological processes that can be used to further this process.
The Laboratory for Genomics Research will be available for use by researchers from both institutions and GlaxoSmithKline. It is the brainchild of Jennifer Doudna, PhD, a co-inventor of CRISPR and UC Berkeley professor of chemistry and molecular and cell biology; Jonathan Weissman, PhD, a UCSF pioneer of CRISPR screening technology; and Hal Barron, MD, chief scientific officer and president of research and development at GlaxoSmithKline.
"Over the last seven years, CRISPR has transformed academic research, but until the LGR, we haven't had a focused effort to catalyze the kind of research we know will lead to new innovation using this CRISPR tool," Dr. Doudna said in a statement. "I think we're going to be able to do science that none of us can even imagine today."
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