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Jennifer A. Doudna, PhD, with her colleague Emmanuelle Charpentier, PhD, demonstrated that the CRISPR bacterial immune defense system could be harnessed as a platform by which to add or delete select DNA sequences in a cell or organism. Their work led to the development of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system, which is expected to generate extraordinary advances in cancer research, the development of new cancer treatments, and an improved understanding of how cancers begin and progress. In 2017, Dr. Doudna was elected to be a Fellow of the AACR Academy.