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#077 Rewriting genomes to eradicate disease and aging | Dr. George Church

Aug 24, 2022

Dr. George Church is a trailblazer in genetics, known for his contributions to the Human Genome Project and gene editing. In this conversation, he shares revolutionary ideas on rewriting genomes to combat diseases and aging. He discusses the potential of CRISPR technology and highlights innovations like the Vertebrate Genomes Project and AI tools like AlphaFold. Church also addresses ethical concerns in germline editing and explores fascinating concepts such as de-extinction and engineered organs for transplantation, reshaping our health and future.

02:08:20

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George Church

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Exploring Genetic Engineering: Innovations and Ethical Considerations

2min

Exclusive Membership Benefits and Live Q&A Announcement

2min

Decoding the Genome: Challenges and Innovations

23min

Innovating Genome Engineering with AI

12min

Revolutionizing Gene Editing and Aging

33min

The Intersection of Genetic Editing and Health Enhancement

2min

Germline Editing: Ethics and Public Perception

29min

Exploring Gene Drives and the Creative Mind

15min

10.

Encoding Knowledge in DNA

6min

11.

Exploring the Frontiers of Genome Editing and Health

2min

George Church, Ph.D. is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and of health sciences and technology at both Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Church played an instrumental role in the Human Genome Project and is widely recognized as one of the premier scientists in the fields of gene editing technology and synthetic biology.

In this episode, we discuss:

(00:00) Introduction to Dr. George Church
(07:13) History of the Human Genome Project
(15:20) Manufacturing cell phones (with biology)
(17:34) Genome Project-Write
(20:03) Writing a human Y chromosome (from scratch)
(20:48) What if you could eliminate viral disease?
(22:51) De-extinction and reinstating lost traits and genes
(27:06) The Vertebrate Genomes Project
(29:47) AlphaFold and other AI tools
(41:27) CRISPR vs. Base Editing (emerging tools of genetic engineering)
(49:40) Why multiplex editing will change the world
(52:18) Molecular flight recorder
(53:31) Preventing viral spillover and enhancing livestock
(57:40) PCSK9 gene therapy for cholesterol
(1:00:30) Is aging an evolved program?
(1:05:21) Treating aging with a combination gene treatment
(1:09:04) Does animal research help us understand human aging?
(1:11:40) Human organoids as a model and therapeutic
(1:13:34) Could engineered transplant organs become better than the originals?
(1:16:17) Embryo editing controversy
(1:28:41) Gene editing for space travel
(1:30:40) Can synthetic biology alleviate poverty?
(1:34:07) Is in vitro fertilization and embryo selection practically similar to editing?
(1:39:12) The occasional cost of brilliance
(1:45:45) Eradicating disease with Gene Drive
(1:48:55) Technologies to solve Lyme disease
(1:51:57) Dr. Church's experience with narcolepsy as a bridge to creative insights
(2:00:42) Why George encoded his book in DNA

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