Abstract:
My thesis emphasizes the power of design in synthetic biology and harnessing natural mechanisms to develop technologies. I have developed a molecular suite of technologies to precisely edit the genome, and expand the power of CRISPR by compact CRISPR enzymes. I showed the power of coupling PNA and CRISPR as well as coupling ligand-responsive sgRNA and CRISPR to establish powerful diagnostics for POC applications. These technologies expand the translational applications of CRISPR systems and contribute to improving the quality of human life.

Bio:
Wenjun Jiang joined KAUST as a PhD student in Prof. Magdy Mahfouz lab since 2019