Christchurch is to host 300 leading international scientists for CRISPR 2025, the first time the genome biology conference has been held in the Southern Hemisphere.
The successful conference bid was supported by ChristchurchNZ Business Events, and led by Professor Peter Fineran from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences.
The event will take place across four days, from February 16-20, 2025, at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre.
Head of ChristchurchNZ business events Megan Crum says this is an exceptional win for Christchurch.
“We are thrilled to be chosen as the first city in the Southern Hemisphere to host this prestigious event.
“These international CRISPR researchers are set to share their knowledge and build networks with our local researchers to create significant legacy outcomes for our region, and for the world.
“The chance to explore our city and region will also be a big drawcard for delegates,” says Megan.
The annual CRISPR conference, first held in 2008, is an international forum for scientists interested in all aspects of CRISPR-Cas systems, ranging from fundamental biology to biotechnological development, genome editing, and beyond. In 2020 the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna for ‘the development of a method for genome editing’ based on their work on CRISPR.
Professor Fineran says global experts will be presenting state-of-the-art novel research, and global trends in CRISPR biology.
“New Zealand research has advanced global scientific knowledge around the role of CRISPR-Cas defence mechanisms of bacterial populations, enabling further research and development to take place in the field,” he says.
The impact of the University of Otago’s internationally-renowned research has been to advance understanding of how CRISPR-Cas systems are regulated, and how they work as ‘molecular scissors’ to cut genes.
CRISPR 2025 is being managed and run by local professional conference organiser, Composition.
Composition director Arna Wahl-Davies says the CRISPR meeting will put the global spotlight on Christchurch and New Zealand.
“We will be bringing together scientists from around the world to share their passion and curiosity about these fascinating systems and create a forum for the exchange of ideas on the international stage,” says Arna.
