The first CRISPR and Translational Medicine Congress was held on March 31 and April 1^st, 2022 in Bordeaux.

CRISPR is one of the most powerful discoveries of the last decade and the scientific program of the congress is organized in six sessions dealing with major aspects of current developments:

1. CRISPR for Neuromuscular Disorders
2. Engineered cellular models of genetic disease (cell lines, primary cells, iPSCs)
3. Engineered animal models of genetic disease
4. Gene therapy
5. Safety (off-targets, genotoxicity, immunity)
6. New CRISPR tools

The CRISPR-Cas9 technology has revolutionized genome edition approaches in the last few years. It is used to model genetic diseases in both in vitro cell lines or primary cells (sessions 1 and 2) and in vivo animal models (session 3). First therapeutic trials in humans have been undertaken (session 4), further strengthening the clinical prospects of the technology. Meanwhile, the intensive use of CRISPR tool in research labs has revealed off-target effects with unwanted genetic modifications (session 5), and many current researches are focused on the improvement of DNA targeting and cutting action of CRISPR tools in order to overcome these drawbacks and develop new applications (session 6).

A round table presenting the CRISPR technology and the societal and ethical aspects was organized on Friday evening.

Speakers:

• Béatrice Turcq, chercheuse CNRS, directrice scientifique de la plateforme CRISP’edit, vice-présidente de la Société Française de la Génétique, membre de l’équipe 11 de notre unité
  
• Marion Abecassis, avocate en sciences de la vie, membre fondateur d’ARRIGE, invitée permanente du Comité d’Ethique de l’Inserm (en visio)
• Bernard Baertschi, philosophe, membre des Comités d’Éthique de l’Inserm et du CENH (Suisse).

LThe round table is moderated by Cyril Sarrauste de Menthière, ingénieur de recherche CNRS de l’Institut de génétique humaine (IGH, CNRS et université de Montpellier), head of the Scientific Mediation and Valorization Service.

Organizing Committee, a large part of which is a member of BRIC:

• Béatrice Turcq
  Administrative manager of the congress
  CRHC CNRS, Responsable Scientifique Plateforme CRISP’edit, TBMCore, BRIC INSERM U1312, équipe 11
• Valérie Prouzet-Mauléon
  IE Université de Bordeaux, Responsable Technique Plateforme CRISP’edit, TBMCore, équipe 11
• Virginie Rocher
  AI, Université de Bordeaux, Gestion Administrative/Financière/Communication, TBM-Core UMS CNRS 3427 – US INSERM 005 – Université de Bordeaux
• Aurélie Bedel
  MCU-PH, BRIC INSERM U1312, équipe 08
• Stéphane Duvezin-Caubet
  CRCN CNRS, IBGC UMR CNRS 5095
• Véronique Guyonnet-Duperat
  IR INSERM, Responsable Technique Plateforme Vect’UB, TBMCore
• Richard Iggo
  PU, BRIC INSERM U1312 , équipe 07
• Sarah Lesjean
  AI INSERM, Chargée de communication, BRIC INSERM U1312, service commun
• Candice Menegon
  Chargée de communication, Département SBM
• François Moreau-Gaudry
  PUPH, Responsable Scientifique Plateforme Vect’UB, TBMCore, BRIC INSERM U1312, équipe 08
• Cyril Sarrauste de Menthiere
  IR CNRS, Responsable du Service de Médiation Scientifique et Valorisation, IGH, UMR 9002 CNRS-Univ. Montpellier, Montpellier
• Emmanuel Tétaud
  CRCN CNRS, UMR CNRS 5234