Feng Zhang

Feng Zhang made his name as one of the original pioneers behind CRISPR technology, and has since pursued a career in both research and entrepreneurship. Among the companies he’s co-founded is Editas Medicine, which as of late 2023 was now the official holder of patent rights to the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool used in the sickle cell therapy Casgevy, and Aera Therapeutics, which in February 2023 raised $193 million in venture funding to develop protein nanoparticles as a way of delivering gene editing. Aera laid off a quarter of its staff in early January of 2024 in a move chalked up to biotech’s prolonged downturn, but Zhang’s faith in the market doesn’t seem to be shaken. That same month, Zhang announced he was co-founding a new gene editing startup focused on epigenetic engineering, Moonwalk Therapeutics, along with Alex Aravanis, one of the biggest names in the world of DNA sequencing.