In this webinar, we heard from the 2020 Early Career Research Award winner Dr Andrew Hammond. In his Award Lecture,  Dr Hammond presented his work on targeting sites in the genome and developing the first CRISPR-based system to bias the sex ratio – a key process needed to develop several strategies for pest and vector control.

Dr Andrew Hammond completed his PhD at Imperial College London working on gene drives. Gene drives have incredible potential to modify entire populations of the malaria mosquito by biasing their own inheritance. Andrew’s PhD was focused upon finding suitable targets in the mosquito genome, and establishing CRISPR technologies in the mosquito to test its potential as a gene drive. His primary PhD research demonstrated the first gene drive system designed to suppress populations of the malaria mosquito, including the first use of CRISPR in the African malaria mosquito.

This webinar was chaired by Professor Sheila Graham, Professor of Molecular Virology at the University of Glasgow and Chair of the Biochemical Society.