Paul Knoepfler

Last updated

Paul S. Knoepfler
Born (1967-04-10) April 10, 1967 (age 56)
NationalityAmerican
AwardsHoward Temin Award
Scientific career
Fields Stem cells, Cancer Biology, Epigenomics
Website www.chromatin.com

Paul S. Knoepfler [1] (born April 10, 1967) is an American biologist, writer, and blogger. He is a professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, the Genome Center, and the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. In 2013, Knoepfler was named one of the 50 most influential people in the stem cell field. [2]

Contents

Education

Knoepfler received a BA in English Literature from Reed College in 1989 and a PhD in Molecular Pathology from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in 1998 as a Lucille P. Markey Fellow. [3]

Research

Knoepfler's research is focused on enhancing the safety of stem cell treatments, including that of induced pluripotent stem cells, [4] [5] and developing novel therapies to target cancers, particularly brain tumors. [6] His lab studies the Myc oncogene and other factors that regulate stem and cancer cell chromatin including histone variant H3.3. [7]

Knoepfler did his postdoctoral studies at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the laboratory of Bob Eisenman, studying Myc regulation of chromatin in stem cells and cancers of the nervous system. [8] During his postdoctoral studies, Knoepfler received a fellowship from the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research, and the Howard Temin Award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). [9]

Knoepfler joined UC Davis in 2006 as an Assistant Professor, shortly after the formation of the California stem cell agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). [10] His decision to move was influenced at least in part by the promise of CIRM to vitalize stem cell research in California. [11] He received a $2 million New Faculty Award from CIRM in 2008. [12] More recently, he received the GPI national stem cell advocacy award in 2013. [13]

Knoepfler has also received support from the March of Dimes via the Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Award [14] and from the National Brain Tumor Society. [15] Knoepfler was more recently awarded grants from the St. Baldrick's Foundation [16] to support work studying how Myc causes childhood brain cancers and potential ways to develop new treatments. [17] [18]

Cancer, blogging, and advocacy

Knoepfler was diagnosed with prostate cancer in late 2009 at age 42, an experience he credits at least in part as the inspiration to start blogging as an academic stem cell researcher. [19] As of 2012, Knoepfler was the only stem cell scientist in the United States who regularly blogged about stem cells. [20] Knoepfler remains in long-term remission from prostate cancer after surgery in 2009. In addition to blogging about stem cells, he blogged about his experience with prostate cancer, [21] [22] a disease that is often not discussed openly by men.

Knoepfler received tenure in 2011 while actively blogging, an event he claims demonstrates a growing acceptance of social media in academia. [22] He is a proponent of scientific social media and has been listed as the top person to follow on Twitter to stay current on events in the stem cell field. [23] His blog at http://www.ipscell.com has broken a number of stem cell news stories, including the fraud of Hisashi Moriguchi of Japan, who claimed to have transplanted iPS cells into humans as early as 2012; [24] the unawarded third position for the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; [25] and the explosion of stem cell cosmetics. [26] In addition to his blogging, in 2013 Knoepfler released a book titled Stem Cells: An Insider's Guide, [27] which is aimed at a general audience of both scientists and non-scientists. [28]

As part of education and advocacy efforts, Knoepfler has supplied his own funds to support advancing the stem cell cause. In 2012, he awarded multiple $50 iTunes gift cards as prizes for a stem cell essay contest [29] and started a Stem Cell Person of the Year Award that includes a $1,000 cash prize given from Knoepfler's own money. The first winner of this award was stem cell and spinal cord injury patient advocate, Roman Reed. [30] [31]

In 2015, Knoepfler published a new book, titled GMO Sapiens: The Life-Changing Science of Designer Babies, [32] which discusses the science of human genetic modification. His second book covers the new CRISPR gene editing technology and its possible use in humans, cloning, eugenics, and transhumanism. Knoepfler advocates in the book for a temporary moratorium on clinical use of CRISPR in humans, whether for health condition or even human enhancement to create designer babies. [33] In a TEDx Vienna talk titled "What if my neighbor's kid was genetically modified?" [34] he addresses his concerns on the use of CRISPR in humans.

In December 2015, Knoepfler was interviewed on the PBS Nightly News hour along with Jennifer Doudna, by Gwen Ifil. In 2016, he was a panelist on Episode 12 of the TV show Bill Nye Saves the World to discuss CRISPR and designer babies. In 2017, he was the subject of a feature article in Science Magazine [35] for his advocacy and educational outreach work. [36]

In 2019 Knoepfler co-authored his new book with his daughter, Julie Knoepfler, How to Build a Dragon or Die Trying: A Satirical Look at Cutting-Edge Science, [37] which discusses using CRISPR gene editing, stem cells, and bioengineering to make real dragons.

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embryonic stem cell</span> Type of pluripotent blastocystic stem cell

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre-implantation embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50–150 cells. Isolating the inner cell mass (embryoblast) using immunosurgery results in destruction of the blastocyst, a process which raises ethical issues, including whether or not embryos at the pre-implantation stage have the same moral considerations as embryos in the post-implantation stage of development.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was created in 2004 after 59% of California voters approved California Proposition 71: the Research and Cures Initiative, which allocated $3 billion to fund stem cell research in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Designer baby</span> Genetically modified human embryo

A designer baby is a baby whose genetic makeup has been selected or altered, often to exclude a particular gene or to remove genes associated with disease. This process usually involves analysing a wide range of human embryos to identify genes associated with particular diseases and characteristics, and selecting embryos that have the desired genetic makeup; a process known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Screening for single genes is commonly practiced, and polygenic screening is offered by a few companies. Other methods by which a baby's genetic information can be altered involve directly editing the genome before birth, which is not routinely performed and only one instance of this is known to have occurred as of 2019, where Chinese twins Lulu and Nana were edited as embryos, causing widespread criticism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UC Davis Medical Center</span> Hospital in California, United States

UC Davis Medical Center (UCDMC) is part of UC Davis Health and a major academic health center located in Sacramento, California. It is owned and operated by the University of California as part of its University of California, Davis campus. The medical center sits on a 142-acre (57 ha) campus (often referred to as the Sacramento Campus to distinguish it from the main campus in nearby Davis) located between the Elmhurst, Tahoe Park, and Oak Park residential neighborhoods. The site incorporates the land and some of the buildings of the former Sacramento Medical Center (which was acquired from the County of Sacramento in 1973) as well as much of the land (and two buildings) previously occupied by the California State Fair until its 1967 move to a new location.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 California Proposition 71</span> California law

Proposition 71 of 2004 is a law enacted by California voters to support stem cell research in the state. It was proposed by means of the initiative process and approved in the 2004 state elections on November 2. The Act amended both the Constitution of California and the Health and Safety Code.

Myc is a family of regulator genes and proto-oncogenes that code for transcription factors. The Myc family consists of three related human genes: c-myc (MYC), l-myc (MYCL), and n-myc (MYCN). c-myc was the first gene to be discovered in this family, due to homology with the viral gene v-myc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CTCF</span> Transcription factor

Transcriptional repressor CTCF also known as 11-zinc finger protein or CCCTC-binding factor is a transcription factor that in humans is encoded by the CTCF gene. CTCF is involved in many cellular processes, including transcriptional regulation, insulator activity, V(D)J recombination and regulation of chromatin architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Induced pluripotent stem cell</span> Pluripotent stem cell generated directly from a somatic cell

Induced pluripotent stem cells are a type of pluripotent stem cell that can be generated directly from a somatic cell. The iPSC technology was pioneered by Shinya Yamanaka and Kazutoshi Takahashi in Kyoto, Japan, who together showed in 2006 that the introduction of four specific genes, collectively known as Yamanaka factors, encoding transcription factors could convert somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells. Shinya Yamanaka was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize along with Sir John Gurdon "for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Doudna</span> American biochemist and Nobel laureate (born 1964)

Jennifer Anne Doudna is an American biochemist who has done pioneering work in CRISPR gene editing, and made other fundamental contributions in biochemistry and genetics. Doudna was one of the first women to share a Nobel in the sciences. She received the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, with Emmanuelle Charpentier, "for the development of a method for genome editing." She is the Li Ka Shing Chancellor's Chair Professor in the department of chemistry and the department of molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley. She has been an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Nolta</span> American scientist

Jan A. Nolta is an American scientist and the director of the stem cell program at the UC Davis School of Medicine and Institute for Regenerative Cures. She is Scientific Director for the UC Davis Good Manufacturing Practice and editor of the journal Stem Cells. Nolta is known for her work with stem cell-related regenerative medicine. Nolta's current research focuses on treatment of Huntington's disease using mesenchymal stem cells. She was elected a AAAS Fellow in 2013.

Bryant Villeponteau is an American scientist, entrepreneur, and longevity expert who has worked in both academia and industry.

Owen Witte is an American physician-scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a distinguished professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, founding director of the UCLA Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, and the UC Regents’ David Saxon Presidential Chair in developmental immunology (1989–present). Witte is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator (1986–present) and a member of the President's Cancer Panel. He also served on the Life Sciences jury for the Infosys Prize in 2013.

Human germline engineering is the process by which the genome of an individual is edited in such a way that the change is heritable. This is achieved by altering the genes of the germ cells, which then mature into genetically modified eggs and sperm. For safety, ethical, and social reasons, there is broad agreement among the scientific community and the public that germline editing for reproduction is a red line that should not be crossed at this point in time. There are differing public sentiments, however, on whether it may be performed in the future depending on whether the intent would be therapeutic or non-therapeutic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">He Jiankui affair</span> 2018 scientific and bioethical controversy

The He Jiankui affair is a scientific and bioethical controversy concerning the use of genome editing following its first use on humans by Chinese scientist He Jiankui, who edited the genomes of human embryos in 2018. He became widely known on 26 November 2018 after he announced that he had created the first human genetically edited babies. He was listed in the Time's 100 most influential people of 2019. The affair led to ethical and legal controversies, resulting in the indictment of He and two of his collaborators, Zhang Renli and Qin Jinzhou. He eventually received widespread international condemnation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">He Jiankui</span> Chinese scientist (born 1984)

He Jiankui is a Chinese biophysicist who was an associate professor in the Department of Biology of the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Shenzhen, China. Earning his Ph.D. from Rice University in Texas on protein evolution, including that of CRISPR, He learned gene-editing techniques (CRISPR/Cas9) as a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CRISPR gene editing</span> Gene editing method

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 California Proposition 14</span> Citizen-initiated ballot measure

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Gary L. Johnson is an American scientist and Professor recognized for his work with oncogenes and stem cells in the fields of molecular pharmacology and cancer cell biology. His other research interests include signaling networks controlling cell function and disease and the behavior of the kinome en masse in cancer.

References

  1. ↑ "Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. | UC Davis Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy".
  2. ↑ "Top 50 most influential people on Stem Cells today" (PDF).
  3. ↑ "Faculty Profile".
  4. ↑ "Patient's own skin cells may treat diseases, UCD researcher says". Davis Enterprise.
  5. ↑ Vergano, Dan (May 20, 2009). "Controversy doesn't derail stem cell progress". USA Today.
  6. ↑ "St. Baldrick's Foundation awards $100,000 to UC Davis Scientist".
  7. ↑ Bush, Kelly M.; Yuen, Benjamin TK; Barrilleaux, Bonnie L.; Riggs, John W.; o'Geen, Henriette; Cotterman, Rebecca F.; Knoepfler, Paul S. (2013). "Endogenous mammalian histone H3.3 exhibits chromatin-related functions during development". Epigenetics and Chromatin. 6 (1): 7. doi: 10.1186/1756-8935-6-7 . PMC   3635903 . PMID   23570311.
  8. ↑ "Myc in nervous-system development". February 6, 2003.
  9. ↑ "Paul Knoepfler receives five-year Howard Temin Award from the NCI". July 7, 2005.
  10. ↑ "Names of Stem Cell Researchers Moving to California Since Prop. 71". August 18, 2007.
  11. ↑ "California's stem cell agency ponders its future". USA Today. March 19, 2012.
  12. ↑ "UC Davis researcher gets $2M for stem cell research". Sacramento Business Journal.
  13. ↑ "Stem Cell Scientist Who Blogs To Receive Award For Advocacy". Forbes.
  14. ↑ "March of Dimes grant".
  15. ↑ "BTS Grant Recipients". Archived from the original on May 20, 2013.
  16. ↑ "St. Baldrick's Grants".
  17. ↑ "$100,000 awarded to UC Davis stem cell researcher". Rocklin Today.
  18. ↑ "Name Droppers". Davis Enterprise.
  19. ↑ "My year as a stem-cell blogger". Nature News.
  20. ↑ "Like Touching Tomorrow: a Visit to the World Stem Cell Summit". Daily Kos.
  21. ↑ "My Cancer: how I became an advocate too". January 18, 2011.
  22. 1 2 "Alumnus Profile: Stem Cell Blogger".
  23. ↑ "Social media and stem cells: Time to start tweeting".
  24. ↑ "A not-so-Nobel story on cellular reprogramming". Nature News.
  25. ↑ Bardin, Jon (October 8, 2012). "Was anyone snubbed in Monday's Nobel Prize announcement?". LA Times.
  26. ↑ "In the Flesh: The Embedded Dangers of Untested Stem Cell Cosmetics". Scientific American.
  27. ↑ "UC Davis stem cell researcher warns consumers to beware of unproven or dangerous stem cell treatments". Sacramento Bee.
  28. ↑ "Stem Cells: An Insider's Guide – the new book by Paul Knoepfler". September 30, 2013.
  29. ↑ "$50 iTunes gift card for best stem cell essay". San Diego Union Tribute.
  30. ↑ "Stem cell person of year chosen". San Diego Union Tribune.
  31. ↑ "Roman Reed Foundation".
  32. ↑ Knoepfler, Paul (2015). GMO Sapiens. doi:10.1142/9542. ISBN   978-981-4667-00-5.
  33. ↑ "Paul Knoepfler". Amazon.
  34. ↑ "The ethical dilemma of designer babies". ted.com. January 23, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  35. ↑ "The rise of unproven stem cell therapies turned this obscure scientist into an industry watchdog". sciencemag.org. August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  36. ↑ "2015's biggest breakthrough could deliver designer babies". pbs.org. December 30, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  37. ↑ Knoepfler, Paul; Knoepfler, Julie (2019). How to Build a Dragon or Die Trying. doi:10.1142/11104. ISBN   978-981-327-446-4. S2CID   192768633.
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