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Advances in DNA sequencing technology have made it possible to identify the many genes within an organism’s genome.  Two current challenges are to understand how these genes work together to dictate how an organism grows and develops and how to make changes in genomes for medical and commercial purposes.  Meeting these challenges requires sophisticated tools to manipulate genes.  The mission of the Center for Genome Engineering is to develop and disseminate the tools that enable efficient, responsible genome engineering.

At the heart of the CGE’s genome engineering technology are transposable elements – segments of DNA capable of changing their chromosomal position or moving from one DNA molecule to another.  Transposable elements constitute a large portion of DNA in many organisms.  They naturally shape the genetic code by causing mutations, rearrangements and sequence duplications.  At the Center for Genome Engineering, scientists are harnessing these naturally occurring genome engineers to enable precise changes to the genetic code.

We are excited by the progress of the Center since its establishment in 1999 and by the many discoveries of Center scientists that enable new approaches to genome engineering. The Center is poised for the next decade of discovery and is ready to implement its technologies to solve real world problems.

CGE News

Reuben Harris was featured in the article, "Turning the Tables on HIV". Read the article here.

Perry Hackett writes for Star Tribune, "Scietific Finders but not Keepers". Read Star Tribune article here.

Scott Fahrenkrug was featured in article "Altered animals: Creatures with bonus features" by NewScientist. Read the article here.

Mark your Calendars for exciting conferences and meetings. More details...

2013 is a great year for new publications from CGE. See papers..

Reuben Harris leads researchers in discovery of a molecular security system that protects human cells from potentially harmful foreign DNA. Read the article...

Dan Voytas's research on zinc finger nucleases is featured in the New York Times article "In New Way to Edit DNA, Hope for Treating Disease". Read the article...