“A genome-wide net to catch and understand cancer,” is the title of the prize-winning essay written by NYGC Core Faculty Member Neville Sanjana, PhD, describing his research focused on pioneering gene-editing technology CRISPR, and now showcased as the August 8 cover story of Science Translational Medicine.
Earlier this year, the essay was selected by the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Science Translational Medicine, the AAAS journal for its prestigious 2018 AAAS Martin and Rose Wachtel Cancer Research Award, which recognizes early-career investigators who have performed outstanding work in the field of cancer research. In addition to his essay being published in Science Translational Medicine, Dr. Sanjana, one of only two recipients honored this year, will give a public lecture on the essay at the National Institute of Health’s Lipsett Amphitheater on August 10.
In July, Dr. Sanjana, who holds joint appointments as Assistant Professor of Biology, New York University (NYU) and Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU School of Medicine, was the recipient of a 2018 Young Faculty Award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The award, a grant of $1M over three years, will fund work to accelerate development of new methods for precision gene editing to repair disease-causing mutations. “Over the past five years, CRISPR systems have made it relatively easy to knock-out or block expression of certain genes in human cells,” noted Dr. Sanjana in the NYU press release about the award. “However, it has been more challenging to perform precise gene surgery to correct DNA mutations in these genes — a significant obstacle as many serious genetic diseases are caused by small mutations.”
