Anderson Lecture Series: Luciano Marraffini

Luciano Marraffini is a pioneer in the study of CRISPR-Cas systems in bacteria and their potential for genome editing. In 2024 he received the Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science, which recognizes outstanding immigrant scientists whose work has had a profound impact on biomedical research, with important contributions to medicine and human health. 

Marraffini was born in Rosario, Argentina where he attended the University of Rosario. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, followed by postdoctoral research at Northwestern University. For years, Marraffini has been uncovering the molecular mechanisms of CRISPR-Cas systems that help bacteria defend themselves against viral invaders. With Erik Sontheimer, Marraffini showed that CRISPR-CAS targets and destroys viral DNA, rather than RNA, as previously thought. Their groundbreaking paper in 2008 noted that, as a result, CRISPR could become a broader tool for genome editing. In collaboration with Feng Zhang’s lab at the Broad Institute, Marraffini conducted the original in vivo CRISPR-Cas genome-editing projects and showed its effectiveness across cell types. 

Today, CRISPR-Cas is a ubiquitous biotechnological tool with great potential to prevent and treat a wide range of diseases.