Ep 46: CRISPR & Genetics 101
Synopsis
Evolutionary Biology PhD student Brenna Stanford joins the podcast to excite us about the study of genetics, epigenetics, gene expression and gene editing. Towards the end of the episode, we discuss the gene editing tool called CRISPR CAS9 and its fantastic potential, as well as its looming ethical dilemma.
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Meet the Guest Star
Brenna Stanford:
Brenna is a molecular ecologist working on her PhD at the University of Calgary, Alberta. She grew up on a small island on the West Coast where she developed a deep curiosity and love for the beautiful complexity of the natural world. In 2015, Brenna graduated with an honours degree in biochemistry from the University of Victoria and then worked as a conservation biologist for Parks Canada before starting graduate school.
Over the last seven years, Brenna has done research on a number of different species, broadly focusing on using molecular techniques to better understand how organisms respond to and adapt to their ever-changing environment.
Brenna completed a MSc in evolutionary biology in 2019, where she used whole genome sequencing to answer conservation questions for the endangered Banff Springs Snail. Currently, she’s near completion of her PhD, where Brenna has combined her passion for molecular processes and conservation by investigating the ecology of gene expression to test predictions about the resiliency of species to climate change.
