The four-day meeting will see 300 scientists from around the world meet at the first of New Zealand’ next-gen convention centres, Te Pae Christchurch.
“We are thrilled to be chosen as the first city in the Southern Hemisphere to host this prestigious event,” said ChristchurchNZ’s head of business events, Megan Crum.
“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.”
The bid to hold the conference in Christchurch was led by Professor Peter Fineran from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences. ChristchurchNZ Business Events supported the bid.
CRISPR-Cas is a genome editing technology, developed from a naturally occurring genome editing process found in bacteria and the CRISPR conference, which deals with all aspects of the technology including biology and biotechnological development, was first held in 2008. The 2020 Nobel Prize for Chemistry was won by two scientists for their work on the CRISPR technology.
“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,” said Fineran.
Local conference organiser Composition has been selected to organise the meeting.
“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,” said Composition director Arna Wahl-Davies.
