Dr Hussein Abkallo is a scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, Kenya. His main task involves the establishment of the cutting edge CRISPR/Cas9 technology for editing ASF virus genome, as well as the development of a reverse genetics (synthetic biology) system for generating synthetic ASF viral genomes, with a view to developing live attenuated vaccines (LAVs) against ASF virus. Prior to joining ILRI, he was a Royal Society Newton International Fellow at the University of Edinburgh in the UK where he was using CRISPR/Cas9 to edit P. falciparum genome. Hussein is keen on broader applications of CRISPR/Cas9 technology and Synthetic biology including development of vaccines, socio-economic inventions, and expanding the uptake of synthetic biology on the continent. Hussein has also recently embarked on the development of CRISPR/Cas9 system for editing Theileria parva genome for functional genetics and vaccine development.