Edward Rebar Seminar: Engineering Zinc Finger Proteins for Therapeutic Applications

Designed Zinc Finger Proteins (ZFPs) provide an attractive platform for editing and regulating therapeutically impactful genes, as they can be targeted to recognize and bind virtually any chosen locus. Moreover, clinical-grade ZFPs can be readily developed via a mix-and-match assembly of pre-characterized parts, including finger modules and linkers. This talk will describe our recent studies in the engineering of zinc finger proteins for therapeutic applications, with a focus on three developments: (i) a new approach for optimizing specificity that emphasizes tuning of cleavage kinetics; (ii) the engineering of T-cells ex vivo for a variety of applications, including the editing of regulatory T-cells for modulating immune responses, and (iii) the development of  ZFP-repressors for potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Engineering Zinc Finger Proteins for Therapeutic Applications

Dr. Edward Rebar

Chief Technology Officer

Sangamo Therapeutics