Home Department: Physics
Mentor: Zev Bryant (Bioengineering)

“Dynamics and Mechanics of Minimal RNA-Guided Nucleases”

In December 2023, the FDA approved the first CRISPR/Cas9 gene therapy to treat sickle cell anemia, a disease affecting millions. Despite the transformative impact of CRISPR gene editing, applications remain limited by ease of delivery and efficiency of widely-used CRISPR endonucleases such as Cas9 and Cas12a. Irenka will use high-resolution biophysical measurements to investigate the mechanisms of small RNA-guided nucleases that are relatives and likely evolutionary ancestors of Cas12. Comparisons with Cas9 and Cas12a will illuminate the evolution and fundamental mechanisms of RNA-guided nucleases and may guide further development of minimal ancestral enzymes as compact gene editing tools.