Researcher
George Church
Last updated Sat May 30 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Background
George Church is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Founding Member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. He co-launched the Human Genome Project, developed early sequencing technologies, and now runs one of the world’s largest academic genomics labs.
Key contributions
- Helped reduce the cost of genome sequencing by orders of magnitude.
- Lead architect of the Personal Genome Project (open consent genomes).
- Multiplex gene therapy for aging: 2019 paper showed a single AAV cocktail (FGF21, α-klotho, TGFβ-receptor) ameliorated obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart failure, and kidney failure in mice simultaneously.
- Co-founded numerous biotechs including Rejuvenate Bio, Editas Medicine, GRO Biosciences, eGenesis.
Public stance
Among the more aggressive academic voices on what gene therapy can potentially do for human aging on a 10–20-year horizon.
Related entries
References
- Davidsohn, N. et al. A single combination gene therapy treats multiple age-related diseases. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 116, 23505–23511 (2019).