At the WIRED Health summit in Boston on September 9, we hosted some of the leading experts in Crispr, whole-genome sequencing, vaccines, and more for a series of eye-opening conversations and keynotes. If you weren’t able to join us in person, no worries; you can watch them all right here.
From 2025 Breakthrough Prize winner David Liu to Moderna CEO Stepháne Bancel, WIRED Health speakers gave deep insights into what’s next for gene-editing, cancer treatment, and a host of other cutting-edge topics. We were also joined by neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, who discussed chronic pain and his new book, It Doesn’t Have to Hurt: Your Smart Guide to a Pain-Free Life.
The next WIRED Health event will take place April 17 in London. In the meantime, get caught up on our Boston summit below.
Correcting Genetic Errors with Crispr
Treatment for genetic diseases like sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia are hard to design, but ongoing Crispr clinical trials offer new hope for patients. WIRED managing editor Hemal Jhaveri spoke with 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences winner David Liu to discuss how new genetic-editing tools can fix the pathogenic gene mutations that cause thousands of diseases.
Creating a Brain in a Computer
In the past two decades, MIT neuroscientist Ed Boyden has invented novel tools to map and control the brain. Now, he’s building the world’s first computer simulation of one. In this WIRED Health keynote, he spoke about how that invention can revolutionize AI, unlock new treatments for neurodiseases, and even help better understand the human condition.
The Rise of AgeTech
From digital brain training to at-home screening devices, technology is transforming how and where people aged 50 and over live while managing conditions like dementia and chronic diseases. AARP CEO Myechia Minter-Jordan spoke with WIRED executive editor Brian Barrett about the promise of AgeTech, the booming longevity economy, and how startups are innovating to help us thrive as we age.
The Promise of Whole-Genome Sequencing
Nationwide whole-genome sequencing projects are being launched by governments around the world, from the United Kingdom to the United Arab Emirates. Harvard geneticist George Church and Orchid founder and CEO Noor Siddiqui spoke with WIRED staff writer Emily Mullin about how whole-genome sequencing is being used to prevent genetic diseases.
Using Light to Treat Cancers, Mental Diseases, and Much More
In this keynote, former Google and Facebook technical executive Mary Lou Jepsen—now chairman and founder of Openwater—shared an exclusive preview of her new invention: a portable modular device designed to combine ultrasound, holography, and cutting-edge physics to kill cancer tumors and other diseases with precision.
Winning the War on Cancer
Cancer care still relies on slow, expensive procedures developed decades ago. Liquid biopsies are changing that—replacing CT scans and surgical biopsies with a single blood test that can detect cancers at an early stage and accelerate treatments. The cofounder and CEO of Guardant Health, Helmy Eltoukhy, sat down with WIRED Health curator João Medeiros to discuss how precision oncology is reshaping the cancer patient experience, and how liquid biopsies will soon be part of routine health care.
The Cancer Vaccine Revolution
What’s next for the company that developed a Covid-19 mRNA vaccine in record time? Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel spoke with WIRED’s Brian Barrett about the biotech company’s exciting work on individualized mRNA cancer therapies and other promising cancer treatments under development. Bancel also responded to the Trump administration’s recent anti-mRNA rhetoric.
It Doesn’t Have to Hurt: A Conversation with Sanjay Gupta
More than 52 million people worldwide suffer from daily chronic pain. CNN chief medical correspondent and Emmy Award-winning neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta joined WIRED Health curator João Medeiros to talk about his new book and the best science-backed methods to treat pain.