Jennifer Doudna
b. 1964 · USA · Co-developer of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing.
Contribution
With Emmanuelle Charpentier (2012), adapted the bacterial CRISPR-Cas antiviral immune system into a programmable genome-editing tool — rewriting how genes can be studied and engineered.
Why It Still Matters
CRISPR is central to microbial genetics research, gene-drive debates, therapeutics, and tools for studying virulence and resistance genes.
Key Links
- Hub: Medical Microbiology History
- Peers: Emmanuelle Charpentier
- Domains: microbial genetics → MOC - Fundamentals of Microbiology · MOC - Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
- Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020 (with Charpentier)
Active Recall
- What natural system did CRISPR editing come from?
- Name one microbiology research use of CRISPR.