SynBioBeta Speaker
Craig Woods
CEO
Forge Genetics
YEAR
25
May 2025, SynBioBeta
Speaker
Craig Woods has a background in genetics, next-generation sequencing, and bioinformatics from Imperial College London and the University of Nottingham. Following PhD Craig worked as a post-doctoral researcher working on biofuel producing Clostridia sponsored by Lanzatech. In 2019 Craig joined a sustainable alternative protein company called Deep Branch becoming VP of R&D where he led the strain development and scale-up process development teams. In 2023 Craig left Deep Branch to become CEO at University of Nottingham spin-out Forge Genetics. Forge was created to commercialise a novel gene-editing tool called"Forge Editing". Forge Editing is currently being used to manipulate difficult to engineer bacteria and is being developed for use as a safer alternative to CRISPR editing in gene therapy applications.
SynBioBeta 2025 - Keynote
Unlocking Difficult-to-Engineer Bacteria with a Novel Alternative to CRISPR
Many bacteria remain genetically intractable due to poor DNA uptake and toxicity issues associated with genome editing systems like CRISPR-Cas. Even when DNA is delivered, these tools often yield mixed populations, requiring laborious screening to isolate true mutants. We've developed a new, programmable system that enables efficient genome editing in challenging species by avoiding these common pitfalls. Originally designed for bacteria, it is now being developed for use in yeast and mammalian cells, offering broad potential across biological systems. This approach opens new frontiers in synthetic biology by making previously inaccessible organisms editable with speed and precision.
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