Gene-editing tool’s inventor co-founds S.F. startup
Jennifer Doudna, the UC Berkeley researcher credited with inventing the gene-editing technology known as CRISPR, has co-founded a San Francisco startup that aims to use the technology to detect diseases.
Mammoth Biosciences, based in the city’s Dogpatch neighborhood, is the latest startup Doudna has co-founded in recent years to use CRISPR technology. Others include Caribou Biosciences in Berkeley, and Intellia Therapeutics and Editas Medicine in Cambridge, Mass.
Mammoth uses CRISPR in a way that is analogous to a Google search, said CEO and cofounder Trevor Martin, a Stanford-trained biologist.
It “hunts” for a specific DNA or RNA sequence that is unique to a certain disease. The search system can be programmed to find many diseases, including cancer, malaria, strep throat and human papillomavirus, or HPV.
The process starts by taking a sample of urine, blood or saliva. When the sample is added to Mammoth’s test, the liquid will change color to indicate whether the disease is present.
The company is developing a prototype for such a test, which Martin says will be similar to a pregnancy test in size. He hopes it can be used in hospitals, doctors’ offices or in people’s homes.
Mammoth is backed by such venture capital firms as Mayfield, NFX and 8VC. The company declined to disclose how much money it has raised.