Press release: Yale scientist to speak on revolutionary gene editing tools

A Yale doctor will present a primer on a gene editing tool that is revolutionizing biology and medicine at the July 10 meeting in Norwalk of the Humanists and Freethinkers of Fairfield County.

Dr. William M. Philbrick, an expert who knows how to relate it to non-scientists in an interesting, informative, and fascinating manner, will discuss the history and future promise of CRISPR/Cas9, a tool that allows scientists to make precise, permanent modifications to the genome. CRISPR is short for “Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats,” a type of bacterial DNA that, together with the Cas9 protein, can be harnessed to extract or add DNA segments in a desired location.

Philbrick is a Senior Research Scientist in Medicine and Director of the Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center Molecular Core at the Yale School of Medicine.

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Silver Star Diner at 210 Connecticut Ave in Norwalk.

The Humanists and Freethinkers of Fairfield County, Connecticut, espouses Reason and Compassion, seeks to promote Humanism and free thought in our community. It meets on the second Monday of each month, with speakers, discussion, and social time. Learn more at meetup.com/HFFCCT.