Redwood City, California – Synthego, a leading provider of genome enineering solutions, today announced that genomic industry pioneer Dr. Jennifer Doudna has joined the company’s advisory board. Doudna, best known for co-inventing CRISPR, will advise Synthego on a variety of product, partnership, and business strategy initiatives to help amplify the company’s fast-growing impact in the genome engineering space.

First proposed as a gene editing tool by Doudna and her team in 2012, CRISPR now serves as the foundation for modern genome engineering and is considered one of the most exciting scientific advancements in history. Using CRISPR, researchers can precisely edit DNA to eradicate diseases and solve some of society’s biggest challenges. As one of the industry’s leading innovators, Doudna will bring her expertise and strategic counsel to Synthego’s board as the company accelerates the adoption of CRISPR by increasing access to the technology and standardizing its application across multiple areas of the life sciences, such as biopharma.

 Synthego is one of the most promising and necessary companies to emerge in the field of genome engineering,” said Jennifer Doudna. “By increasing access to this scientific advancement, Synthego will have an immediate impact on life sciences researchers and is poised to transform the industry by making the application of CRISPR simpler, faster, and more valuable to innovators previously unable to realize its full potential.

The efficiency and agility of Synthego’s technology has positioned the company as one of the world’s leading authorities on CRISPR. Synthego’s full-stack genome engineering platform expedites research processes and allows scientists to study the fundamentals of biology, develop novel therapeutics for human disease, advance agriculture, and produce sustainable energy and chemicals. Most importantly, Synthego’s CRISPR offering is easily incorporated into existing workflows, enabling rapid and cost-effective research with consistent, accurate results for every scientist.

 As one of the foremost leaders of genome engineering, Jennifer will greatly enhance our efforts in bringing biology as a service to life sciences,” said Paul Dabrowski, Chief Executive Officer of Synthego. “We are establishing the concept of, and setting the standards for, agile biopharma by bringing engineering principles to the field of biology. With Jennifer by our side, we will create a new approach to genome engineering. We are humbled and thrilled to bring her on board.

Doudna joins Sir Andrew Witty, former CEO Of GlaxoSmithKline and Director of UnitedHealth Group, on Synthego’s advisory board. Sir Witty joined in September 2017 and brings broad experience in the biopharmaceutical market to the team.

About Synthego
Synthego is advancing the adoption of genome engineering by making it easier and faster for scientists to unlock the power of CRISPR. Using principles of agile development, Synthego’s full-stack genome engineering tools bring a new level of precision and automation to scientific research. Leading institutions in more than 32 countries around the world, eight of the 10 largest global biotechnology companies, and 24 of the top 25 global biology universities turn to Synthego to accelerate basic scientific discovery, uncover critical disease cures and develop novel synthetic biology applications to improve and prolong life. Synthego was recently recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies.

About Dr. Jennifer Doudna and The Doudna Lab
Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D is a professor of molecular and cell biology and chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, where she holds the Li Ka Shing Chancellor’s Chair in Biomedical and Health Sciences, and is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Her research group, The Doudna Lab uses biochemical and structural methods to investigate RNA:protein interactions and has published numerous research studies on the applications of CRISPR.