Emmanuelle Charpentier

Emmanuelle Charpentier's laboratory focuses on the Gram-positive human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes, also known as group A streptococcus, which can cause highly aggressive invasive infections such as toxic shock and necrotizing diseases. Scientists are seeking to understand how RNAs and proteins control cellular processes at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional and post-translational levels. They are studying regulatory RNAs and proteins in various biological pathways, such as bacterial defense systems (CRISPR-Cas), horizontal gene transfer, adaptation to stress, physiology, persistence, virulence, infection and human host immunity. Emmanuelle Charpentier is Founding, Scientific and Managing Director of the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens and Honorary Professor at Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. Prior to her current appointments, she was Scientific Director at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin; Alexander von Humboldt Professor, Department Head at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig and Full Professor at the Hannover Medical School, Germany; Visiting and Associate Professor at the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (EMBL Partnership), Umeå University, Sweden; Assistant and Associate Professor at the Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Austria. Emmanuelle held several research associate positions in the US: The Rockefeller University, New York University Medical Center and Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis. She received her education in microbiology, biochemistry and genetics at the University Pierre and Marie Curie and the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France. Emmanuelle has been widely recognized for her groundbreaking research that laid the foundation for the revolutionary CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering technology. She has received numerous prestigious international awards and honors, and is an elected member of national and international scientific academies. She is co-founder of CRISPR Therapeutics and ERS Genomics with Rodger Novak and Shaun Foy. ​ More information about Emmanuelle is available at .