The 221b Foundation, a non-profit founded by Sherlock Biosciences to bring novel CRISPR-based diagnostics to underserved populations around the world, today announced that Dr. Pardis Sabeti has joined its Board of Directors.
A pioneer in evolutionary biology and founder of Sherlock Biosciences, Dr. Sabeti brings vast experience in the detection, containment and treatment of deadly infectious diseases, including Lassa Fever, Ebola and Zika. Her career has focused on the advancement of scientific innovation in the service of public health, and she has seen first hand the critical role surveillance, diagnosis and rapid response play in combating the devastating effects of disease in low and middle-income countries. She will leverage her vast expertise and experience utilizing the SHERLOCK method across her work in Western Africa to support The 221b Foundation’s mission to extend the reach of novel CRISPR-based diagnostics globally.
“CRISPR is uniquely suited to meet the global need for accurate, rapid and affordable diagnostic testing,” said Bryan DeChairo, board member of The 221b Foundation and president and CEO of Sherlock Biosciences. “By providing global health partners with access to Sherlock’s products and intellectual property (IP) through distribution and licensing, we can extend and accelerate access to those who need it most. Pardis has been a fierce global health advocate for her entire career, and will provide invaluable counsel as we deliver on our mission.”
The 221b Foundation was founded by Sherlock Biosciences as an extension of the company’s commitment to developing decentralized diagnostics that can reach low-access areas around the world, a mission supported by grants issued to Sherlock Biosciences from global health organizations including Open Philanthropy. Amongst the programs supported by The 221b Foundation was a broad initiative with the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) in Nepal to help control the spread of SARS-CoV-2 throughout the country. Through donations of equipment and resources, The 221b Foundation provided much needed support to help Nepal stem the spread of COVID-19 and bolster the countries testing strategy.
Dr. Sabeti is a professor at the Center for Systems Biology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and the Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease at the Harvard School of Public Health, an Institute Member of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.
About The 221b Foundation
The 221b Foundation was founded with the mission to bring novel CRISPR-based diagnostics to underserved populations around the world to maximize patient impact and improve global public health. The Foundation provides global health partners with access to Sherlock Biosciences’ products and IP through distribution and licensing. For more information, please visit here.
About Sherlock Biosciences
Sherlock Biosciences is developing products that will empower people to access answers and have more control over their health decisions. Through our engineering biology tools, CRISPR-based SHERLOCK™ and synthetic biology-based INSPECTR™, we are bringing together the accuracy of PCR with the convenience and simplicity of antigen tests for molecular diagnostics at the point-of-need. SHERLOCK and INSPECTR can be used in virtually any setting without complex instrumentation, making it well suited for use in the home and in low resource settings, opening up a wide range of potential applications in areas including infectious disease, early detection of cancer, treatment monitoring, and precision medicine. In 2020 the company made history with the first FDA-authorized use of CRISPR technology. For more information, please visit www.sherlock.bio.
