John W. Strohbehn Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Appointments and Affiliations
- John W. Strohbehn Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering
- Professor of Biomedical Engineering
- Associate Professor of Surgery
- Associate Professor in Cell Biology
- Associate Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery
- Affiliate of the Duke Regeneration Center
- Core Faculty in Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
- Member of the Duke Cancer Institute
Contact Information
- Office Location: 2123 Ciemas, Durham, NC 27708
- Office Phone: +1 919 613 2147
- Email Address: Charles.gersbach@duke.edu
- Websites:
Education
- B.S. Georgia Institute of Technology, 2001
- Ph.D. Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006
Research Interests
Gene therapy, genomics and epigenomics, biomolecular and cellular engineering, regenerative medicine, and synthetic biology.
Awards, Honors, and Distinctions
- Fellow (NAI). National Academy of Inventors. 2022
- John W. Strohbehn Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering . Duke University. 2021
- Stansell Family Distinguished Research Award . Pratt School of Engineering. 2019
- Allen Distinguished Investigator. Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group. 2017
- Fellow. American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. 2017
- Thomas Langford Lectureship Award. Duke University. 2016
- Outstanding New Investigator. American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. 2014
- Capers and Marion McDonald Teaching and Research Award. Duke University. 2013
- Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program. National Science Foundation. 2012
- Rising Star Award. Society for Physical Regulation in Biology and Medicine. 2012
- NIH Director’s New Innovator Award. National Institutes of Health. 2011
- Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Award. March of Dimes Foundation. 2011
- Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award. Oak Ridge Associated Universities. 2011
- Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Award. The Hartwell Foundation. 2010
Courses Taught
- PHARM 494: Research Independent Study
- PHARM 493: Research Independent Study
- EGR 393: Research Projects in Engineering
- CELLBIO 493: Research Independent Study
- BME 590L: Special Topics with Lab
- BME 564L: Genome Engineering Lab (GE, MC)
- BME 562: Biology by Design (GE, MC)
- BME 494: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
- BME 493: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
- BME 394: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
In the News
- Which Duke Scholars Made the Most Cited List? (Nov 16, 2023 | Duke Research Blo…
- How Higher Ed Partnerships Are Driving Economic Advancement in North Carolina (…
- Gene Therapy for Heart Attacks in Mice Just Got More Precise (Dec 13, 2022)
- Duke Awards 22 Distinguished Professorships (Jun 28, 2021)
- School of Medicine Faculty, Students Shine During Duke University Research Week…
- Using CRISPR Tagging to Turn Stem Cells Into Just the Adult Cell You Need (Dec …
- Taking Aim at the 'Dark' Genome to Uncover New Therapies for Disease (Oct 1, 20…
- New CRISPR Approach Expands the Genetic Engineering Toolkit (Sep 24, 2019 | Pra…
- Engineering 'Hairpins' Increases Accuracy of CRISPR Genome Editing (Apr 15, 201…
- Single Genetic Editing Treatment Provides Long-Term Benefits in Mice (Feb 18, 2…
- A Chinese Scientist Gene-Edited a Human Embryo: What, How & Why (Dec 17, 2018 |…
- From Innovation to Impact (Oct 3, 2018 | Duke Med Alumni News)
- CRISPR/Cas9 Silences Gene Associated with High Cholesterol (Apr 27, 2018)
- Pratt Researchers Advance Treatment That Reduces Blood Cholesterol Levels in Ad…
- Faculty Startup Sold to Belgian Pharma for $30 Million (Apr 9, 2018)
- Two Postdocs Win Gene Therapy Fellowship (Nov 29, 2017)
- Screening the Human Genome's 'Dark Matter' (Apr 4, 2017 | Pratt School of Engin…
- CRISPR Screen Detects Functional Gene Regulation (Apr 2, 2017 | The Scientist)
- Betting on the first disease to be treated by gene editing (Mar 14, 2017 | CNBC)
- Duke Awards Distinguished Professorships, Inducts New Bass Society Members (May…
- Gene editing offers hope for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy, studies find…
- Gene editing treats disease in mice (Jan 4, 2016 | BBC News)
- CRISPR Treats Genetic Disorder in Adult Mammal (Dec 31, 2015)
- Pratt Research Brings Precise Control to Gene Expression (Oct 27, 2015)
- Studying the Harm and Healing Power of Steroids (May 26, 2015)
- Engineers gain control of gene activity; new therapies may be ahead (Apr 6, 201…
- Bacterial Defense Mechanism Targets Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (Feb 19, 2015)
- Bacterial Defense Mechanism Targets Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (Feb 18, 2015)
- Lighting Up the Duke 'D' With Genes (Feb 9, 2015)
Representative Publications
- Black, Joshua B., Andrew F. Adler, Hong-Gang Wang, Anthony M. D’Ippolito, Hunter A. Hutchinson, Timothy E. Reddy, Geoffrey S. Pitt, Kam W. Leong, and Charles A. Gersbach. “Targeted Epigenetic Remodeling of Endogenous Loci by CRISPR/Cas9-Based Transcriptional Activators Directly Converts Fibroblasts to Neuronal Cells.” Cell Stem Cell 19, no. 3 (September 2016): 406–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2016.07.001.
- Maeder, Morgan L., and Charles A. Gersbach. “Genome-editing Technologies for Gene and Cell Therapy.” Molecular Therapy : The Journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy 24, no. 3 (March 2016): 430–46. https://doi.org/10.1038/mt.2016.10.
- Thakore, Pratiksha I., Joshua B. Black, Isaac B. Hilton, and Charles A. Gersbach. “Editing the epigenome: technologies for programmable transcription and epigenetic modulation.” Nature Methods 13, no. 2 (February 2016): 127–37. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.3733.
- Nelson, Christopher E., Chady H. Hakim, David G. Ousterout, Pratiksha I. Thakore, Eirik A. Moreb, Ruth M. Castellanos Rivera, Sarina Madhavan, et al. “In vivo genome editing improves muscle function in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.” Science 351, no. 6271 (January 22, 2016): 403–7. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aad5143.
- Thakore, Pratiksha I., Anthony M. D’Ippolito, Lingyun Song, Alexias Safi, Nishkala K. Shivakumar, Ami M. Kabadi, Timothy E. Reddy, Gregory E. Crawford, and Charles A. Gersbach. “Highly specific epigenome editing by CRISPR-Cas9 repressors for silencing of distal regulatory elements.” Nat Methods 12, no. 12 (December 2015): 1143–49. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.3630.
- Hilton, Isaac B., Anthony M. D’Ippolito, Christopher M. Vockley, Pratiksha I. Thakore, Gregory E. Crawford, Timothy E. Reddy, and Charles A. Gersbach. “Epigenome editing by a CRISPR-Cas9-based acetyltransferase activates genes from promoters and enhancers.” Nat Biotechnol 33, no. 5 (May 2015): 510–17. https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.3199.
- Polstein, Lauren R., and Charles A. Gersbach. “A light-inducible CRISPR-Cas9 system for control of endogenous gene activation.” Nature Chemical Biology 11, no. 3 (March 2015): 198–200. https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.1753.
- Ousterout, David G., Ami M. Kabadi, Pratiksha I. Thakore, William H. Majoros, Timothy E. Reddy, and Charles A. Gersbach. “Multiplex CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing for correction of dystrophin mutations that cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy.” Nat Commun 6 (February 18, 2015): 6244. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7244.
- Perez-Pinera, Pablo, D Dewran Kocak, Christopher M. Vockley, Andrew F. Adler, Ami M. Kabadi, Lauren R. Polstein, Pratiksha I. Thakore, et al. “RNA-guided gene activation by CRISPR-Cas9-based transcription factors.” Nat Methods 10, no. 10 (October 2013): 973–76. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.2600.