Jennifer Doudna Joins Synthego Advisory Board

By Bio-IT World Staff

March 29, 2018 | Jennifer Doudna has joined Synthego’s advisory board. She 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. The advisory role builds on Doudna’s January 2017 individual investment in the company.

“Synthego is one of the most promising and necessary companies to emerge in the field of genome engineering,” Doudna said in a Synthego press release. “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.” 

Synthego believes the greatest advances in gene editing will come from making the technology widely accessible and driven by standards, Paul Dabrowski, CEO of Synthego, told Bio-IT World earlier this month. He hopes having Doudna on the team will speed this process.

“Dr. Doudna’s visionary perspective aligns with Synthego’s goals of simplifying and accelerating genome engineering. All of our products, software tools, and services add to this journey of making medicines and cures accessible to everyone,” Dabrowski wrote in a Synthego blog.

In the company press release he said, "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, the company said.