Team Bio

Omar and Jonathan co-direct the Abudayyeh-Gootenberg lab which develops molecular technologies for solve problems in gene and cell therapy, aging and rejuvenation, and climate change.

Omar Abudayyeh

Omar Abudayyeh is a McGovern Institute Fellow at MIT where he directs a lab developing next-generation cell profiling, molecular diagnostics, gene editing, gene delivery, and synthetic biology technologies. These tools, including the popular gene editing system CRISPR, allow for unprecedented manipulation and profiling of cellular states with multiple applications in basic science and for programmable therapeutics and diagnostics. Dr. Abudayyeh also applies many of these tools towards answering fundamental questions about the effect of aging on the brain and other organs with the goal of developing regenerative therapeutics. He previously was at Harvard Medical School and MIT as a graduate student in Feng Zhang’s lab at the Broad Institute, where he earned a Ph.D. researching novel CRISPR enzymes for genome editing, therapeutics, and diagnostics. He is a pioneer in the gene editing space as an inventor on dozens of patents and patent applications relating to gene editing and diagnostic innovations, as well as over 25,000 citations on more than 40 peer-reviewed articles in journals like Nature, Science, and Cell. He is also co-founder of Sherlock Biosciences and Proof Diagnostics, which are commercializing CRISPR-based diagnostics for healthcare and at-home testing, as well as numerous other stealth starts ups in the gene therapy space, including Tome Biosciences and Doppler Bio. Dr. Abudayyeh has been recognized as Technology Review Innovators Under 35, Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst, Endpoints 20 under 40 Next Generation of Biotech Leaders, 2022 Termeer Scholar, 2018 Forbes 30 under 30, Business Insider 30 under 30, a 2018 TEDMED Hive honoree, and a 2013 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow. Dr. Abudayyeh graduated from MIT in 2012 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and biological engineering, where he was a Henry Ford II Scholar and a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar. He also spent two years studying towards an MD at Harvard Medical School.

Jonathan Gootenberg

Jonathan Gootenberg is a McGovern Institute Fellow and co-PI of the Abudayyeh-Gootenberg lab at Dr. Gootenberg draws from fundamental biological insights to engineer new molecular toos, including CRISPR-mediated genome and transcriptome perturbation and non-destructive cellular sensing. These technologies allow for unprecedented manipulation and profiling of cellular states in the body, have multiple applications in basic science, diagnostics, and therapeutics, and have been translated into multiple biotechnology companies, including 5 companies that Dr. Gootenberg has co-founded. Dr. Gootenberg earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and biological engineering at MIT and received his PhD in Systems Biology from Harvard University, during which he conducted research with Aviv Regev and Feng Zhang at the McGovern Institute and Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. His work on genome editing, protein design, and diagnostics has resulted in over 50 publications with over 35,000 citations. He has been recognized with awards including Forbes 30 under 30, Technology Review 35 under 35, Business Insider 30 and under, Endpoints 20 under 40, and as an inaugural Termeer Foundation scholar.