George Church

At a glance

• George Church is an American geneticist, molecular engineer and entrepreneur. He is Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, affiliated with MIT and a founding member of the Wyss Institute.
• In the 1980s he developed one of the first direct genomic sequencing methods and helped launch the Human Genome Project. In 2005 he started the Personal Genome Project, in which volunteers share their genomes publicly.
• In 2013 his lab was among the first to use CRISPR to edit genes in human cells.
• He has co-founded dozens of companies, including in xenotransplantation (eGenesis), de-extinction (Colossal) and gene therapy for ageing (Rejuvenate Bio).
• In mice his team tested a combination of gene therapies that improved several age-related conditions at once. With Ed Regis he wrote the book Regenesis (2012).
• For longevity, he is an influential pioneer because he aims genetic technology directly at ageing.
• Takeaway: gene therapy for ageing is still at the animal-study stage; be wary of clinics already offering such treatments.