This magic pen.
It can rewrite the code of life.
"Repair" the "broken" genes
In January this year, using the self-developed "pen" - gene editing drug "CS-101", Shanghai innovative biopharmaceutical company Zhengxu Biotechnology successfully ** a patient with thalassemia major, which is the first time in the world that a hemoglobinemia patient has been diagnosed by base editing.
The second season of the series of short documentaries "Let's Talk About Innovation" jointly produced by the Propaganda Department of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, the International Propaganda Office of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, and Wen Wei Po tells the vivid practice of Shanghai in accelerating its progress towards a science and technology innovation center with global influence from an expert perspective. Today, the third episode of "The Magic Pen" is launched, in which Chen Jia, a permanent professor at the School of Life Science and Technology of ShanghaiTech University and the founder of Zhengxuan Biology, tells the story of how to transform scientific research achievements from the laboratory bench to application, give full play to their wisdom and talents on the new track of life sciences, and create vitality through innovation, entrepreneurship.
Chen Jia. He is a permanent professor at the School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, and the founder of Orthologue.
Write a new track with a wonderful pen, and lead the future with innovation and transformation.
Shanghai's good innovation atmosphere helps scientific research achievements to be smoothly transformed and bear fruit.
Ten years ago, Chen Jia returned to China and joined the School of Life Sciences of ShanghaiTech University, starting the journey from pure basic research to applied technological innovation. When he was a postdoctoral fellow, he studied DNA damage repair, and after carrying out independent research work, he and his team started to study the field of base editing from molecular mechanisms, and scientists in this field in the world "started" almost at the same time, and quickly achieved a lot of results in the academic community. In 2017, Chen Jia applied for his first domestic patent at Shanghai University of Science and Technology, and then successfully applied for a more difficult international patent.
The technology known as 'molecular magic scissors' CRISPR Cas9 is capable of gene editing, but because it produces double-strand breaks in DNA, it is more damaging to cells, a bit like 'thoracotomy'. Chen Jia explained, "Our self-developed base editing technology is equivalent to 'turning a knife into a pen', turning the previous 'thoracotomy surgery' into a 'minimally invasive surgery', using a 'pen' that can rewrite genes to correct the wrong bases." ”
Gene editing is a very cutting-edge field in the world, and while constantly cultivating new tracks, scientists are also thinking about how to use patented technology to help patients and make scientific research results lying in the laboratory benefit the society.
With the support of the university, in 2019, the project of "New Base Editing Tool ** Hereditary Diseases" of Chen Jia's team participated in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference of Shanghai University of Science and Technology and won the award, which was favored by investors. With the help of the university's technology transfer office, a start-up incubated by Shanghai University of Science and Technology was established, and the scientific research project was officially promoted to the transformation and application.
From basic research, technological innovation, to business incubation, achievement transformation, and then to the success of clinical trials, Chen Jia has experienced the process of "from 0 to 1" in the entrepreneurship of scientists. Today, Sequence Biosciences has completed angel rounds and Series A financing, signed a global exclusive license agreement for its patent portfolio with Shanghai University of Science and Technology, and successfully carried out clinical trials with hospitals. Chen Jia found that the development of enterprises can also promote their own scientific research.
In Chen Jia's view, the source of innovation in life sciences and biomedicine often comes from universities or scientific research institutes, and breakthroughs in basic research at the bottom can drive the development of the entire subsequent industry. He said that in the process of building a science and technology innovation center with global influence, Shanghai's universities have played a good advantage in the "three combinations" of education, science and technology, and talents. **The support of colleges and universities and the recognition of technology by investors have formed a good atmosphere of innovation, and on such soil, scientific research achievements can finally be smoothly transformed and blossomed.
He remembers that in 2019, he encountered a difficulty in "reducing off-target mutations", which he had been unable to solve, and one day when he was teaching the basic knowledge of classics in class, he suddenly had a "flash of inspiration" and thought that he could use this classical method to solve the problem.
As a teacher, scientist, and founder of a company, Chen Jia's scientific research and innovation work supports each other in different roles, creating a virtuous circle. Today, professors are still professors, doing research in the vast world of the laboratory to ensure strong research and development capabilities. Chen Jia hopes that in the future, this "magic pen" can be expanded from rare diseases to common diseases, so that China's original gene editing technology can help more patients.