PianoFight hosts Ashley Libby to discuss gene editing, and Georgia Panagiotakos to discuss the brain and neuron development.

Food and drinks available for purchase.

21+ event

Take advantage of the early bird discount and purchase your ticket now. Ticket at the door will be 10$

Gene Editing: Approaching the age of GATTACA

Ashley Libby

Graduate Student at Gladstone Institute

Our DNA controls our lives more than we realize. It not only influences appearance and body function, but it can also cause things to go wrong. Many diseases are genetically linked to your DNA. Now imagine being able to change that. While this might seem like science fiction, it is closer to reality with the discovery of a gene-editing tool called CRISPR. What is CRISPR? Why are scientists excited about it? Come learn about the developing field of gene editing, and what we should watch out for.

Building a brain: how neurons arise during development

Georgia Panagiotakos

Junior Faculty - Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research

I will give a broad overview of the different types of research being done in the field of brain development. I will also describe my lab’s specific area of interest, which is understanding how electrical signals in the embryonic brain regulate the development of specific types of neurons. Defects in this process have been associated with developmental disorders like autism.