Drew Endy

Drew Endy, a leading engineer and synthetic biology researcher at Stanford University, discusses the quest to build synthetic cells from the bottom up. He explains how visualizing a cell as a building helps comprehend its functions. The conversation delves into the historical and engineering approaches that have made this possible. Endy highlights the freedom of designing synthetic cells without lineage constraints and emphasizes their potential to revolutionize bioengineering and sustainability. It's an intriguing exploration of life's fundamental building blocks!

Drew Endy, a Stanford bioengineering professor, and Luciana Borio, a global health expert, delve into the exciting realm of biotechnology. They explore how innovations like bioluminescent plants and mRNA vaccines are transforming everyday life. The discussion highlights the role of AI in drug discovery and emphasizes the importance of U.S. leadership in biomanufacturing for pandemic preparedness. They also tackle the national security implications of biotech advancements and inspire future entrepreneurs to pursue their passions in this dynamic field.

You’re probably familiar with the concept of handedness—a glove made for your left hand looks basically like the one for your right hand, but won’t fit—it’s a mirror image. Many of life’s important molecules, including proteins and DNA, are chiral, meaning they can exist in either a left-handed or a right-handed form. But on Earth, nature only uses one version or the other in living organisms. Your proteins, for example, are all the left-handed version, while your DNA is all right-handed.With advances in synthetic biology, it could be possible to build an artificial organism that flips that shape, having right-handed proteins and left-handed DNA. Writing in the journal Science, an international group of researchers recently cautioned against anyone trying to create that sort of so-called mirror life, saying that it poses the threat of “unprecedented and irreversible harm” to human health and global ecosystems.Dr. Drew Endy, a synthetic biology researcher at Stanford University and one of the authors of that warning, joins Ira to discuss the concept of mirror life and why a group of researchers felt compelled to call for a halt to mirror life experiments.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.