Doudna, Jennifer (1964-…), is an American biochemist. Biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes that take place in all living things. Doudna is known for her work to develop a precise method for modifying DNA, called CRISPR/Cas9. DNA—deoxyribonucleic acid—is a double-stranded chainlike molecule found in every living cell. It directs the formation, growth, and reproduction of cells and organisms.
CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. It is named for certain DNA sequences that occur naturally in bacteria and in microbes called archaea. These DNA sequences function like an immune system, cutting the genetic material of viruses that infect the microbes. Scientists have studied CRISPR in microbes since the 1980’s. One common CRISPR system makes use of an enzyme called Cas9. An enzyme is a protein that speeds up chemical reactions in living things.
In 2012, Doudna and the French biochemist Emmanuelle Charpentier isolated components of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in microbes. The scientists modified the components so that they could be used to cut DNA molecules at specific sites. The result was a precision system for editing DNA that has a wide variety of applications in genetic engineering and gene therapy. Using CRISPR/Cas9, scientists can permanently modify genes in living organisms to treat the genetic causes of disease. In 2020, Doudna and Charpentier were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their groundbreaking work.
Jennifer Anne Doudna was born on Feb. 19, 1964, in Washington, D.C. She studied biochemistry at Pomona College in California, graduating in 1985. She went on to earn a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry at Harvard University in 1989. Since 2002, she has held faculty, research, and executive positions at the University of California at Berkeley.
