A pioneering researcher at North Carolina State University, Rodolphe Barrangou, Ph.D., is about to discuss how he’s cutting and pasting his way to new discoveries in the adaptive bacterial immune system known as CRISPR.

Barrangou will speak at a free public forum at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 11, at the Duke University Marine Laboratory Repass Center on Pivers Island in Beaufort. His talk, “The CRISPR Craze,” is hosted by the Stewards of the Future Regional Exchange Group, sponsored by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

CRISPR is an acronym for “clustered, regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats.” It uses cellular RNA to guide molecular enzyme “scissors” to makes specific cuts in DNA. That triggers cells’ DNA repair machinery to take over, causing changes that can, for example, fix a genetic defect. In other words, it can precisely cut out a mutated section of DNA and replace it with one that functions properly. What “cut-and-paste” does for word processing, CRISPR does for gene editing.

Barrangou will discuss how the emergence of this DNA cutting technology has changed the world of genetic studies, especially in agriculture and medicine. He will explain how the understanding of CRISPR’s function and mechanism of action has opened the door to a variety of applications, from vaccination of food cultures to next-generation antimicrobials. He will also provide insights into the “CRISPR craze,” as it relates to scientific impact, media coverage, business interests and issues for society.

Scientist got academic start in France

Barrangou is an associate professor in the department of food, bioprocessing and nutrition sciences, a University Scholar, and the Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Scholar in Probiotics Research. He earned a B.S. in biological sciences from the Rene Descartes University in Paris; an M.S. in biological engineering from the University of Technology in Compiegne; an M.S. in food science from NCSU; a Ph.D. in genomics from NCSU; and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be provided at the event. Online pre-registration is requested, though information is available from Jill Miller, NCSU Seafood Laboratory at jill_miller@ncsu.edu, 252-222-6334.

This seminar, focusing on human health, is the second in a three-part series exploring the overall topic of health. The last in the series is scheduled for May 9, addressing environmental health.