Recorded on site at the ASGCT 2026 Annual Meeting in Boston, host Sanjay D’Souza, PhD, talks with Fyodor Urnov, PhD, about the evolution and future of gene editing. One of the 2026 ASGCT Catalyst Award co-recipients, Dr. Urnov, talks about his work in gene editing and discusses the need for collaboration in the field to bring more cell and gene therapies to patients.<br>Music: ‘Bright New Morning’ by Steven O’Brien – released under CC-BY 4.0. https://www.steven-obrien.net/<br>Show your support for ASGCT!: https://asgct.org/membership/donate<br>See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Discussion on the Past, Present, and Future Promise of Gene Editing with Fyodor Urnov, PhD

ASGCT Podcast Network

Hello and welcome to the ASGCT Podcast Network. I'm your host, Sanjay D'Souza. We are recording live here in Boston at the ASGCT annual meeting. My co-host Jason and Wes unfortunately can't make it today, so it'll just be me. Before we get started, join leading policymakers, industry executives, and scientific stakeholders at ASGCT Policy Summit, a one-day event in Washington, D.C. on Monday, September 14, 2026.

Be there to discuss the most pressing issues in the field and connect with leaders working across regulatory, manufacturing, access, and innovating in CGT. Virtual registration is also available. Visit asgct.org to learn more.

As a preamble to this conversation, a bit of a historic perspective on genome engineering. Manipulating the human genome has evolved from a scientific breakthrough many years ago into clinical reality. Early work with zinc finger nucleases, talons, epigenetic engineering has helped establish and targeted changes into the human genome that are now possible.

The emergence of CRISPR accelerated that vision, bringing us to a moment where genomic medicines are now actually curing patients of diseases. The recent case of baby KJ marked a historic milestone, a custom CRISPR-based therapy developed and delivered in a matter of months to treat a single patient. It's a really powerful demonstration of what's possible when science, medicine, and urgency all converge at the same time.

So genome editing is now at an inflection point. When personalized NF1 therapies are becoming possible, the systems we rely on, regulatory frameworks, manufacturing standards, and reimbursement models, are still built for medicines designed for patients, for thousands of patients, not just one. So the question isn't just can we do this? It's can we actually make it work at scale and get it to patients who actually need it?

A Discussion on the Past, Present, and Future Promise of Gene Editing with Fyodor Urnov, PhD

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.

A Discussion on the Past, Present, and Future Promise of Gene Editing with Fyodor Urnov, PhD

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast, not the earnings call.

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.