Dr. Leonardo Ferreira Talks CRISPR, HIV, and Engineering Cells as Therapies for Immune Disorders on Talk Show ‘Cognitum’ on NewTV

Molecular immunologist and human genome engineer Leonardo M.R. Ferreira, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar in the laboratories of Dr. Qizhi Tang (Department of Surgery) and Dr. Jeffrey Bluestone (Diabetes Center) at UCSF, was interviewed about his research on the talk show ‘Cognitum’ on NewTV.

‘Cognitum’ is a show dedicated to exploring the present and future of science and technology. Over the course of two episodes, Dr. Ferreira expounded his work as a pioneer in the use of genome editing in human blood cells and discussed his current efforts to engineer regulatory T cells (Tregs) as living drugs.

In the first episode, Dr. Ferreira explained how he is using CRISPR/Cas9 technology to edit the genome of human blood stem cells and T cells to create cells resistant to HIV infection, a potential long-term treatment for AIDS.

Cognitum's Iosif M. Gershteyn discusses advances in gene editing with CRISPR and its' potential to develop a treatment for HIV with immunologist Dr. Leonardo Ferreira of the University of California San Francisco.

In the second episode, Dr. Ferreira delved further into the development of immune cell therapies, discussing his ongoing work on genetically modifying Tregs using chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). The goal is to create Tregs with defined specificities in therapeutic quantities to re-establish immune tolerance in type 1 diabetes and prevent organ transplant rejection.

Cognitum's Iosif M. Gershteyn discusses advances in designing T-Regulatory cells and their potential to treat transplant rejection, and autoimmune disorders such as Type One Diabetes with immunologist Dr. Leonardo Ferreira of the University of California San Francisco.