Dr. Kiran Musunuru

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Community Lecture:  Will gene-editing therapies transform human health? (Yes!)

Thursday, April 9, 2026  6:00 - 7:00 PM 

Reception:  5:00 PM

Russel H. Kirkhof Center, Room 2250 Grand River Room (Parking available in Lots H2 and H4)

Chemistry Seminar:  Therapeutic gene editing for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases:  from the leading cause of death to N-of-1 disorders

Friday, April 10, 2026  1:00 - 2:00 PM 

Russel H. Kirkhof Center, Room 2204 Pere Marquette Room (Parking available in Lots H2 and H4)

Dr. Musunuru’s lectures will describe his team’s medical breakthrough that saved Baby KJ from an incurable disease.  This work has been published in The New England Journal of Medicine.  This video from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia tells the story.

Dr. Musunuru’s work has been highlighted in the New York Times and on STATNews:

"Baby is Healed with World's First Personalized Gene-Editing Treatment"

"Baby KJ's doctors will ask FDA this winter to OK a clinical trial of pioneering gene editing approach"

Dr. Kiran Musunuru An actively practicing cardiologist and committed teacher, Kiran Musunuru, MD, PhD, MPH, ML, MRA, is the Barry J. Gertz Professor for Translational Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on the development of novel gene editing therapies for the treatment of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. He is a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from the White House, the Pennsylvania Governor's Keystone Award, the American Heart Association's Award of Meritorious Achievement and Joseph A. Vita Award, the American Philosophical Society's Judson Daland Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Investigation, the American Federation for Medical Research's Outstanding Investigator Award, Harvard University's Fannie Cox Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching, and the University of Pennsylvania's Jane M. Glick Graduate Student Teaching Award. He recently served as Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine and is the current Editor-in-Chief of The American Journal of Human Genetics. He is author of The CRISPR Generation: The Story of the World's First Gene-Edited Babies and Genome Editing: A Practical Guide to Research and Clinical Applications. He is co-founder and Senior Scientific Advisor of Verve Therapeutics.