Dear Cal alums, parents, and friends,
In May, researchers at UC Berkeley’s Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) announced that a baby was the first human to receive a personalized therapy designed to correct the precise genetic mutation causing his life-threatening disease. Then earlier this month, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative granted the IGI $20 million to establish a new center that will use the same CRISPR gene-editing technology to advance cures for rare pediatric diseases, starting with a goal of treating eight children.
Last week the IGI got another boost: approval of a new laboratory building devoted to health and agricultural applications of CRISPR. Supported by private philanthropy, the building will provide much-needed space for new research projects and interdisciplinary collaboration. It will also offer space to startups that have outgrown the incubator facilities provided by UC Berkeley’s Bakar Labs, yet want to retain access to the people, knowledge, and resources the university offers. This new building, along with another one approved last year for innovations in energy and new materials, will form the Innovation Zone — the largest incubator hub at any university in the nation.
The IGI has proven genome editing’s potential to transform healthcare, agriculture, and climate adaptation, and Bakar Labs is crucial to transitioning Berkeley discoveries into the private sector. Uniting the organizations in the same building will amplify the successes and societal benefits of both. Already, the IGI has spawned 26 companies that have garnered $4.8 billion in startup funding. Bakar Labs companies, many of them based on Berkeley discoveries or founded by alums, have raised more than $630 million and created over 400 jobs.
Examples of research and of spinoffs emerging out of both the IGI and Bakar Labs are nothing short of revolutionary:
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IGI researchers are currently targeting gut bacteria in humans to defang those that promote childhood asthma, and in cows to decrease their production of the greenhouse gas methane.
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Catena Biosciences, a current Bakar Labs tenant, has developed a new way to deliver anticancer drugs, focusing initially on solid tumors.
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Verinomics, which emerged from Bakar Labs, uses CRISPR technology to create specialty crops that thrive in changing environments and that consumers are demanding.
It takes more than an idea, funding, and space to generate breakthroughs. It also takes determination, adaptability, resilience, and the support of the community. Thank you for being a part of the Cal community helping to turn fundamental research into real-world impact.
Go Bears!
Chancellor Rich Lyons
Chancellor’s Choice
Watch: The Last Class— Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich might be famous for his public service, books, and social media posts, but he has always considered teaching his true calling. The Last Class, in theaters now, captures him wrestling with his own aging and his students inheriting a world out of balance with candor, humor, and introspection. Reich taught at Berkeley for nearly 20 years. See a listing of screenings.
Join: Alumni virtual book club — Connect with alums to discuss books through a free, private online forum. Trust, the current selection, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Hernan Diaz that takes us to 1920s New York City, where a banking titan and his wife achieve envied positions in high society. But is their life of culture and philanthropy what it appears to be? The club selects a new book every two months and explores both fiction and nonfiction, including books by alums and faculty.
Watch: Opening statement — On July 15, Chancellor Rich Lyons testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in a hearing regarding antisemitism in higher education. Watch his full opening statement to the committee, or read his remarks below the video.