In Conversation with CRISPR Pioneer Jennifer Doudna

Barely a dozen years ago, Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues published a paper in Science about CRISPR, the pioneering gene-editing technique that thrilled the scientific community. In 2020, the discovery earned her a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. CRISPR is now a mainstream area of study, with researchers looking at its use not only to advance medicine but also to improve animal health, develop drought- and insect-resistant crops, and combat climate change. How did Doudna feel at the moment of its discovery? What is it like to have sparked a scientific revolution? What comes next and what worries her most?

Jennifer Doudna
Alice Park

Aspen Ideas: Health takes place on the Aspen Institute’s wondrous 40-acre campus in the Rocky Mountains from June 20-23, 2024. The three-day event, which has opened the renowned Aspen Ideas Festival since 2014, is where
health’s biggest challenges meet its biggest thinkers. #AspenIdeasHealth #AspenIdeas

For more information about Aspen Ideas: Health, visit https://www.aspenideas.org/attend/health.