CRISPR Pioneer Doudna Joins Global Investment Firm as CSO

Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna/ Courtesy of Nicola Gell/Getty Images for SXSW

Our favorite biochemist is trying on a new kind of role, advising global firm Sixth Street in the latest and greatest CRISPR and gene editing investment opportunities.

Adding Sixth Street to her already impressive resume, Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna is the pioneer of the CRISPR movement, having first published her work on the CRISPR-Cas9 system going on ten years ago. Her work with French chemist Emanuelle Charpentier opened the door for limitless opportunity, reading and rewriting the very code of life. 

Doudna will act as Chief Science Advisor to build a Scientific Advisory Board for Sixth Street, advising the investment firm on CRISPR-related opportunities while providing guidance on regulation and the big question of ethics surrounding the technology. 

"We are honored to welcome Jennifer Doudna to Sixth Street, and her extraordinary knowledge and judgment will provide our team, our investors, and the companies with which we partner an unmatched source of advice regarding CRISPR's applications and responsible use," said Alan Waxman, co-founder and CEO at Sixth Street. 

She'll maintain her current roles to leading the Doudna Lab at UC Berkeley and the Innovative Genomics Institute. Her co-founded biotech, Mammoth Biosciences, just snagged Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA for its CRISPR-powered diagnostic system to detect SARS-Cov-2. Its therapeutic focus is on the smallest known CRISPR systems, CAS14 and Casɸ, which offer opportunities to overcome legacy Cas enzymes' hurdles. 

Doudna's "unicorn" startup has a valuation of over $1 billion already and is backed by Sixth Street and a handful of other top investors. 

In addition to Mammoth, Sixth Street also has a hand in funding Biohaven Pharma, a neuro-focused company with an FDA-approved migraine drug already in the portfolio. A nasal spray for migraines is in Phase III, along with a spray for COVID-induced lung inflammation in Phase II. Also in the pipeline are oral drugs for ALS, spinocerebellar ataxia and OCD. 

Sixth Street has played a notable investment role in Caris Life Sciences – a precision oncology biotech, Immunogen – also targeting cancer but with ADCs, Ironwood and Nektar. 

The firm has over $60 billion assets under management, more than 350 team members who now get to call a Nobel Laureate their co-worker. 

"CRISPR is a profoundly powerful technology, which when properly utilized, supported, and developed, has the potential to unlock solutions for our most pressing challenges. [Jennifer's] contributions will be invaluable as we continue to explore opportunities throughout the healthcare, data science, and technology ecosystems," said R. Martin Chavez, Ph.D., Vice Chairman and Partner at Sixth Street.