The Innovative Genomics Institute is a joint effort of two of California’s leading scientific research institutions — UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco — with affiliates from UC Davis, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Gladstone Institutes, and others.
IGI is a center of excellence dedicated to developing and applying gene-editing techniques to address major challenges facing humanity. Among these is CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), one of the most revolutionary techniques in molecular biology, which allows DNA editing with high precision. This technology has the potential to correct mutations responsible for various diseases and drive significant advances in human health.
Researchers Bruno Solano and Thyago Calvo completed training at IGI under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Doudna’s team — winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing the CRISPR technique — deepening their expertise in this technology. Their work seeks to create innovative and more accessible treatments for sickle cell anemia and neurodegenerative diseases in Brazil.
In 2025, the scientists returned to Brazil to continue their research at the Pioneer Science Laboratory at IDOR São Paulo, in collaboration with IGI. The cooperation agreement between the institutions has been expanded, and up to ten researchers are expected to take part in advanced training and joint projects with the IGI team through 2029.
Currently, grantees Patricia Santana and Corynne Adanho are taking part in advanced training at IGI, where they are developing research focused on inflammatory bowel diseases and sickle cell anemia.
