Dr. Mitalipov is the Director of the OHSU Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy. He is also a Professor in the Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences of Oregon National Primate Research Center.
He is a well known pioneer of many nuclear transplantation studies and was named in 2013 by journal Nature as “the cloning chief”. Mitalipov is also a godfather of a gene therapy, known as mitochondrial replacement therapy, that prevents inheritance of mitochondrial diseases.
In May 2013, Mitalipov and his team published a study in Cell that describes a new process for creating human stem cells from skin cells. The stem cell discovery made several journals’ “Top 10” scientific breakthrough lists in 2013, including Nature, Science, Time, Discover, National Geographic and The Week.
In August 2017, Mitalipov’s collaborative work with the Institute for Basic Science, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Seoul National University, BGI-Shenzhen and BGI-Qingdao, was published in Nature as the first known successful attempt at genetically correcting mutant human embryos, using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene modifying tool.
Mitalipov and his team experimented upon a larger number of human embryos carrying a genetic defect causing heart disease. They demonstrated the possibility of safely and efficiently correcting the defective gene that cause inherited heart disease.
Learn More: https://www.ohsu.edu/people/shoukhrat-mitalipov/2D760207FF014335B07EC30F3818652F