Programmable biology: hacking the genome
When the COVID-19 virus first broke out in 2019 in China, researchers there quickly sequenced the DNA of the new coronavirus and posted it online. Within 48 hours, scientists at Moderna and BioNTech had downloaded the sequence (stored inside a Microsoft Word file as a sequence of A, C, G, T letters 30,000 characters long, representing the nucleotides). Having studied similar coronaviruses (SARS, MERS), the scientists quickly recognized the common exterior shell these viruses share (the “spike protein”) and identified which part of the DNA sequence contained the instructions to make it. They then printed a corresponding RNA sequence that would instruct cells to synthesize this protein. Injected into a human being, this programs the body’s cells to create copies of the protein, which then teaches the immune system to attack it, thereby building up antibodies to the actual virus. This then confers resistance or immunity.
Within 48 hours from downloading the virus DNA, Moderna had a candidate for a vaccine against COVID-19. Proving safety and efficacy in human trials (along with the necessary regulatory compliance) required a further 9 months. This is a stunning achievement in modern medicine. But the most amazing thing is that this technology (programming the body to make particular proteins via messenger RNA) can potentially be applied a wide variety of chronic diseases and potentially cancers. This is “biology as software”.
The Human Genome Project in 1990 set the ambitious goal of sequencing the genome of an entire human being. This cost $1B and took 13 years. Thanks in part to their innovations, by 2020, the cost has come down to less than $1,000 and can now be completed in just a few days.
Beyond healthcare, the genomic revolution is also being applied to create a wide array of useful ingredients for food, cosmetics, and clothing. Using nature as a guide, entrepeneurs are identifying interesting molecules in organisms and are tracking down the DNA sequences that encode for them. They “cut & paste” this (using CRISPR) into bacteria where they can use simple fermentation techniques (add sugar and water so the bacteria can multiply) to create billions of molecules at very low cost.
This has already led to the Impossible burger, a plant-based hamburger with the taste of regular beef (thanks to the synthesis of heme, a key element in blood), and Spiber’s clothing made from brewed spider silk (readily compostable unlike oil-based textiles, such as polyester). Given that 41% of the arable land in the United States is already used for raising livestock and that our global population is forecasted to grow another 30% by 2050, innovation in both of these areas to reduce the strain on natural resources is sorely needed.
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Disclosure
I currently own shares in Moderna.
