Hands-on Introduction to Gene Editing with CRISPR-Cas9 and DNA sequencing

Important: We have now finished accepting applications for this series.

Biomakespace Cambridge presents a hands-on, guided workshop for a small group, introducing CRISPR-Cas9, a tool widely used to edit genes within organisms.

The CRISPR-Cas9 system originated in bacteria, but humans have repurposed these biological machines as a toolkit in laboratories. Come along to learn the theory behind this process and do an introductory bit of gene editing yourself in our community Biomakespace lab.

You will use CRISPR-Cas9 in a variant of baker’s yeast to change the colour of an expressed fluorescent protein, as well as discussing the applications, challenges and ethics inherent in using this technology.

Additionally, we will use an Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencer to explore the yeast’s genome sequence and to attempt to identify any changes we have introduced.

This educational series is for adults with STEM backgrounds but with little formal biology training. The time commitment consists of 3 evening classes (3 hours each), 2 weekend days (4-8 hours each); optional one-day weekend data analysis session (up to 6 hours).

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Dates

• 3 evening sessions: 6-9PM, Wednesday 4th, 11th, 25th March 2020.
• Hands-on CRISPR workshop: either Saturday 14th or Sunday 15th March 2020 (please state your available dates in application)
• DNA sequencing workshop: Saturday 28th March 2020.
• Data analysis (optional) session: date to be agreed with participants (weekend day in April)

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How to Apply
Please complete this participant form (https://forms.gle/MUJKn2GgbrV4k6XZ8) . All applicants will be contacted by Saturday 29th February. There are a total of 12 places available for this series.

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Further Information
This workshop is a pilot of new educational materials, funded by the Mozilla Foundation. As such, there is no charge for participation. The trainers are biologists, but are not CRISPR-cas9 or sequencing experts; they are keen intermediate users who wish to share the excitement and possibilities of modern biological tools with beginners. All materials are in development, so we welcome your feedback, especially if a few things are still rough around the edges!

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Contact Details
If you have any questions, please contact abigail@biomake.space.