Emmanuelle Charpentier

Emmanuelle Charpentier co-invented CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing with Jennifer Doudna and shared the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this breakthrough. Her laboratory discovered the tracrRNA component essential for CRISPR-Cas9 function and worked with Doudna's group to demonstrate its programmable DNA cutting capability. The CRISPR-Cas9 system has been transformatively applied to cancer research and therapy including generating cancer model systems, identifying therapeutic targets, and engineering therapeutic cells. She founded CRISPR Therapeutics to develop clinical applications.