Prof. Hassan Azzazy
Professor of Chemistry at The American University in Cairo (AUC)
CTO of D-Kimia, LLC & CEO of NanoEbers, LLC
Lecture Abstract
CRISPR Genome Editing: An Update
CRISPR (Clusters of Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a natural defense mechanism employed by bacteria to foil attacks by viruses and other invaders via chopping up their DNA. CRISPR has successfully been repurposed to precisely edit genetic code across many organisms and applications.
Concerns have been raised about the ethical merits and consequences of employing CRISPR technology to modify the human genome. In this lecture, the following aspects of CRISPR gene editing will be covered:
- (1) key players and mechanism
- (2) downstream validation
- (3) limitations
- (4) recent applications that could change the future of biotechnology and medicine.
Biographical Sketch
Dr. Azzazy is a tenured full professor of Chemistry (2003-present) at the American University in Cairo (AUC). He serves as the Chairman of Chemistry Department and was the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies & Research at the School of Sciences & Engineering.
He is the founder/director of the International Medical Laboratory Scientists training program at AUC. Dr. Azzazy was a postdoctoral fellow and assistant professor at the departments of Medical & Research Technology and Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (1995-2002).
Dr. Azzazy received his BSc and post-graduate diploma in Biochemistry from Alexandria University, Egypt. He received his PhD from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX (1994). He is certified as a Specialist in Chemistry by the American Society for Clinical Pathology and holds two board certifications in Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics.
With over 28 years of experience in biomedical research, he is the founder/director of Novel Diagnostics and Therapeutics Research group. He has authored 96 scientific publications, 80 conference presentations, and 25 book chapters. His current Scopus H-Index is 30. He is a strong advocate of technology-based innovation and entrepreneurship and has co-founded two nanomedicine startup companies.
Awards: State Prize in Advanced Technological Sciences (2010), Excellence in Research Award (AUC, 2008), Global Innovator Award (TCU, 2014), Arab Innovation & Entrepreneurship Award (UAE, 2015), and the Life Achievement Award (American Society for Clinical Pathology, 2018).