Samantha Maragh, Ph.D.
Leader of the Genome Editing Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Seminar Information

Genome Editing technologies have transformed biosciences and biotechnology by providing precision engineering tools that enable modifications to be made at specified positions within the genetic code of living cells. This rapidly evolving technology area is being adopted to advance many sectors of the bioeconomy including: human health (eg., cell and gene therapies, microbial-based diagnostics and therapeutics), agriculture, engineering/synthetic biology, environment, and biomanufacturing. This talk will give an overview of the NIST Genome Editing Program and ongoing collaborative public-private partnerships to develop standards, methods, tools, technology, and community norms to advance the reliability of genome editing technology and foster confidence in measurements for the genome editing field with a goal to enable genome edited products to market.
Dr. Samantha Maragh leads National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Genome Editing Program with a primary focus on innovation and confidence in genome editing and measurements for gene and cell therapies. She also co-leads the Biomarker and Genomic Sciences Group at NIST additionally supporting measurements for whole human genome sequencing, flow cytometry, cancer biomarkers, and gene delivery systems. She is also a U.S. technical expert to the International Standards Organizations Technical Committee on Biotechnology (ISO TC 276). Samantha has a Ph.D. in human Genetics and Molecular Biology from the John’s Hopkins School of Medicine, and is a recent awardee of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers early in their careers.