Speakers

FENG ZHANG, PHD Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Core Member, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Investigator, McGovern Institute for Brain Research; James and Patricia Poitras Professor in Neuroscience; Departments of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Biological Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology Feng Zhang is a molecular biologist focused on developing and applying novel molecular technologies for studying and improving human health. Dr. Zhang’s studies explore biological diversity with the goals of understanding nature and discovering systems and processes within nature that may be harnessed through bioengineering. Dr. Zhang played an integral role in the development of two revolutionary molecular technologies: optogenetics, which lets researchers control neurons with light to learn more about how the brain works, and CRISPR-Cas9-based gene editing, which allows researchers to make precise changes to the DNA in living cells. He and his team have adapted multiple other CRISPR systems for use as genome and transcriptome engineering tools, as well as developed a number of applications of CRISPR systems including high-throughput genome screening, gene insertion, and detection of nucleic acids. Dr. Zhang’s long-term goal is to develop novel therapeutic strategies for complex diseases without a single underlying genetic change. Tackling brain diseases, specifically, has been a goal since college, when he saw friends suffering from severe mental illness.