PhD defence: Sujan Ravendran
New Gene-Editing Technologies for Genetic Disorders and Cancer Cell Therapies
Info about event
Time
Location
Bartholin Auditorium, 1241-135, Aarhus University
On Thursday 8 October 2026 at 13:00, Sujan Ravendran defends his PhD dissertation entitled “Optimizing Precise Genomic Engineering and Vector Production for Monogenic Disorders and CAR T therapies”.
Novel gene-editing technologies have created new opportunities for targeted correction of disease-causing genetic mutations and the development of advanced cell-based therapies for cancer. A PhD project from Aarhus University, Department of Biomedicine, investigated how CRISPR-based technologies and gene-delivery systems can be optimized for the treatment of inherited disorders and the development of next-generation cell therapies.
The project focused, among other areas, on the rare primary immunodeficiency, DOCK8 deficiency, and demonstrated that precise genetic correction using CRISPR-Cas9 technology can restore normal gene function. The work also included the development of a scalable production platform for adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors, which are commonly used for delivering genetic material in genome-editing applications.
In addition, the project contributed to the development of advanced T-cell therapies, socalled chimeric antigen receptor T-cells, using multiple CRISPR systems simultanously to engineer "off-the-shelf" cell therapies, which can be manufactured in advance and made available to multiple patients.
Overall, the dissertation contributes to our understanding of how precise genome engineering, gene therapy, and cell therapy can be translated from experimental technologies into future treatments for both genetic diseases and cancer.
The summary is written by the PhD student.
The defence is public and takes place in Bartholin Auditorium, 1241-135, Aarhus University. Please see the press release for more information.
Contact
PhD student Sujan Ravendran
Email: sujrav@biomed.au.dk
Phone +45 93603460