Jennifer Doudna, a Nobel laureate and co-inventor of CRISPR gene-editing, is helping other scientists launch CRISPR-related companies in an attempt to commercialize one of modern medicine’s biggest biotech advancements — a cost-effective gene editing tool that can “precisely modify a piece of DNA in the human body. This could lead not only to relief but also a cure,” according to Stanford University. These startups face tough headwinds, with venture funding falling from a peak of $12.2 billion in 2021 to $5.2 billion in 2025. Doudna plans to raise $1 billion for IGI — an institute she founded as a joint effort between UC Berkeley, UCSF and UC Davis — to fund a decade-long initiative supporting scientists who want to develop personalized CRISPR treatment for diseases and expand gene-editing’s potential in other areas, such as climate change. “My biggest ethical concern is actually access and inequality,” Doudna told Forbes. “We really want to make sure that the work we’re doing ultimately benefits everybody, not just a few wealthy individuals.”
