Genetic Engineering Will Change Everything Forever – CRISPR

Deoxyribonucleic acid

Designer babies, the end of diseases, genetically modified humans that never age. Outrageous things that used to be science fiction are suddenly becoming reality. The only thing we know for sure is that things will change irreversibly.


Transcript

1
00:00:00,096 –> 00:00:02,164
Imagine you were alive back in the 1980’s,

2
00:00:03,066 –> 00:00:06,068
and were told that computers would soon take over everything:

3
00:00:06,086 –> 00:00:08,174
from shopping, to dating, and the stock market,

4
00:00:10,056 –> 00:00:13,058
that billions of people would be connected via a kind of web,

5
00:00:14,004 –> 00:00:18,009
that you would own a handheld device orders of magnitudes more powerful than supercomputers.

6
00:00:19,086 –> 00:00:22,108
It would seem absurd, but then all of it happened.

7
00:00:23,064 –> 00:00:26,152
Science fiction became our reality and we don’t even think about it.

8
00:00:28,001 –> 00:00:31,001
We’re at a similar point today with genetic engineering.

9
00:00:31,004 –> 00:00:32,011
So let’s talk about it.

10
00:00:33,054 –> 00:00:35,059
Where it came from, what we’re doing right now,

11
00:00:36,032 –> 00:00:42,064
and about a recent breakthrough that will change how we live and what we perceive as normal forever.

12
00:00:56,024 –> 00:00:59,032
Humans have been engineering life for thousands of years.

13
00:00:59,009 –> 00:01:03,033
Through selective breeding, we strengthened useful traits in plants and animals.

14
00:01:04,042 –> 00:01:07,126
We became very good at this, but never fully understood how it worked.

15
00:01:08,006 –> 00:01:13,010
Until we discovered the code of life, Deoxyribonucleic Acid—DNA.

16
00:01:13,064 –> 00:01:19,065
A complex molecule that guides the growth, development, function, and reproduction of everything alive.

17
00:01:20,042 –> 00:01:22,110
Information is encoded in the structure of the molecule.

18
00:01:23,068 –> 00:01:26,126
Four nucleotides are paired and make up a code that carries instructions.

19
00:01:28,048 –> 00:01:31,106
Change the instructions and you change the being carrying it.

20
00:01:32,062 –> 00:01:35,066
As soon as DNA was discovered, people tried to tinker with it.

21
00:01:36,046 –> 00:01:42,052
In the 1960’s, scientist bombarded plants with radiation to cause random mutations in the genetic code.

22
00:01:43,006 –> 00:01:46,008
The idea was to get a useful plant variation by pure chance.

23
00:01:47,016 –> 00:01:48,112
Sometimes it actually worked too.

24
00:01:49,092 –> 00:01:53,144
In the 70’s, scientists inserted DNA
snippets into bacteria, plants, and animals

25
00:01:54,078 –> 00:01:58,166
to study and modify them for
research, medicine, agriculture, and for fun.

26
00:02:00,034 –> 00:02:08,035
The earliest genetically modified animal
was born in 1974, making mice a standard tool for research, saving millions of lives.

27
00:02:08,098 –> 00:02:13,162
In the 80’s, we got commercial. The first patent was given for a microbe engineered to absorb oil.

28
00:02:15,006 –> 00:02:18,032
Today we produce many chemicals by means of engineered life,

29
00:02:18,009 –> 00:02:21,057
like life-saving clotting factors, growth hormones, and insulin.

30
00:02:22,082 –> 00:02:25,098
All things we had to harvest from the organs of animals before that.

31
00:02:26,046 –> 00:02:31,090
The first food modified in the lab went on sale in 1994: the Flavr Savr tomato,

32
00:02:32,002 –> 00:02:38,024
a tomato given a much longer shelf life where an extra gene that suppresses the build-up of a rotting enzyme.

33
00:02:38,054 –> 00:02:41,110
But GM food and the controversy surrounding them deserve a video of their own.

34
00:02:43,084 –> 00:02:46,146
In the 1990’s, there was also a brief
foray into human engineering.

35
00:02:47,009 –> 00:02:51,093
To treat maternal infertility, babies were made that carried genetic information from 3 humans.

36
00:02:53,076 –> 00:02:56,144
Making them the first humans ever to have 3 genetic parents.

37
00:02:58,018 –> 00:03:03,092
Today there are super muscled pigs, fast-growing salmon, featherless chicken, and see-through frogs.

38
00:03:04,058 –> 00:03:06,084
On the fun side, we made things glow in the dark.

39
00:03:07,042 –> 00:03:10,100
Fluorescent zebrafish are available for
as little as ten dollars.

40
00:03:11,062 –> 00:03:14,098
All of this is already very impressive, but until recently

41
00:03:14,098 –> 00:03:18,140
gene editing was extremely expensive,
complicated, and took a long time to do.

42
00:03:20,016 –> 00:03:26,022
This has now changed with a revolutionary new technology now entering the stage—CRISPR.

43
00:03:27,004 –> 00:03:30,102
Overnight, the costs of engineering have shrunk by 99 %.

44
00:03:31,028 –> 00:03:36,106
Instead of a year, it takes a few weeks to conduct experiments, and basically everybody with a lab can do it.

45
00:03:38,028 –> 00:03:41,035
It’s hard to get across how big a technical revolution CRISPR is.

46
00:03:42,004 –> 00:03:44,092
It literally has the potential to change humanity forever.

47
00:03:46,002 –> 00:03:50,006
Why did this sudden revolution happen and how does it work?

48
00:03:54,058 –> 00:03:57,066
Bacteria and viruses have been fighting
since the dawn of life.

49
00:03:59,028 –> 00:04:02,056
So-called bacteriophages or phages hunt bacteria.

50
00:04:03,014 –> 00:04:06,048
In the ocean, phages kill 40 % of them every single day.

51
00:04:07,042 –> 00:04:12,100
Phages do this by inserting their own genetic code into the bacteria and taking them over to use them as factories.

52
00:04:13,007 –> 00:04:17,095
The bacteria tried to resist but failed most the time because their protection tools are too weak,

53
00:04:19,046 –> 00:04:21,098
But sometimes bacteria survive an attack.

54
00:04:22,046 –> 00:04:26,090
Only if they do so can they activate their most effective antivirus system:

55
00:04:27,092 –> 00:04:32,146
they save a part of the virus DNA in their own genetic code in a DNA archive called CRISPR.

56
00:04:34,042 –> 00:04:36,070
Here it’s stored safely until it’s needed.

57
00:04:37,066 –> 00:04:45,072
When the virus attacks again, the bacterium quickly makes an RNA copy from the DNA archive and arms a secret weapon—a protein called CAS9.

58
00:04:47,052 –> 00:04:51,086
The protein now scans the bacterium’s
insides for signs of the virus invader

59
00:04:51,096 –> 00:04:54,180
by comparing every bit of DNA it finds to the sample from the archive.

60
00:04:56,008 –> 00:04:58,064
When it finds a 100-percent perfect match,

61
00:04:59,042 –> 00:05:04,128
it’s activated and cuts out the virus
DNA, making it useless, protecting the bacterium against the attack.

62
00:05:06,006 –> 00:05:11,014
What’s special is that CAS9 is very
precise, almost like a DNA surgeon.

63
00:05:12,002 –> 00:05:16,074
The revolution began when scientists figured out that the CRISPR system is programmable.

64
00:05:17,064 –> 00:05:21,140
You can just give it a copy of DNA you want to modify and put the system into a living cell.

65
00:05:23,018 –> 00:05:27,104
If the old techniques of genetic manipulation were like a map, CRISPR is like a GPS system.

66
00:05:28,076 –> 00:05:33,128
Aside from being precise, cheap, and easy, CRISPR offers the ability to edit live cells,

67
00:05:34,046 –> 00:05:38,070
to switch genes on and off, and target and study particular DNA sequences.

68
00:05:39,038 –> 00:05:44,082
It also works for every type of cell: microorganisms, plants, animals, or humans.

69
00:05:45,092 –> 00:05:49,180
But despite the revolution CRISPR is for science, it’s still just a first generation tool.

70
00:05:51,052 –> 00:05:54,126
More precise tools are already being created and used as we speak.

71
00:06:00,002 –> 00:06:04,086
In 2015, scientists use CRISPR to cut the HIV virus out of living cells

72
00:06:04,009 –> 00:06:06,063
from patients in the lab, proving that it was possible.

73
00:06:08,003 –> 00:06:11,051
Only about a year later, they carried out a larger scale project with rats

74
00:06:11,094 –> 00:06:14,106
that had the HIV virus in basically all of their body cells.

75
00:06:15,074 –> 00:06:17,128
By simply injecting CRISPR into the rats tails,

76
00:06:18,005 –> 00:06:21,081
they were able to remove more than 50 %
of the virus from cells all over the body.

77
00:06:23,006 –> 00:06:28,011
In a few decades, a crystal therapy
might cure HIV and other retroviruses,

78
00:06:28,007 –> 00:06:32,065
viruses that hide inside human DNA like
Herpes could be eradicated this way.

79
00:06:34,007 –> 00:06:37,055
CRISPR could also defeat one of our worst enemies—cancer.

80
00:06:39,012 –> 00:06:44,050
Cancer occurs when cells refused to die and keep multiplying while concealing themselves from the immune system.

81
00:06:45,024 –> 00:06:49,050
CRISPR gives us the means to edit your immune cells and make them better cancer hunters.

82
00:06:50,024 –> 00:06:52,042
Getting rid of cancer might eventually mean

83
00:06:52,042 –> 00:06:55,044
getting just a couple of injections of a
few thousand of your own cells

84
00:06:55,008 –> 00:06:57,013
that have been engineered in the lab to heal you for good.

85
00:06:59,004 –> 00:07:05,012
The first clinical trial for a CRISPR cancer treatment on human patients was approved in early 2016 in the
US.

86
00:07:06,022 –> 00:07:10,040
Not even a month later, Chinese scientists announced that they would treat lung cancer patients

87
00:07:10,004 –> 00:07:13,026
with immune cells modified with CRISPR in August 2016.

88
00:07:14,024 –> 00:07:15,060
Things are picking up pace quickly.

89
00:07:16,092 –> 00:07:17,190
And then there are genetic diseases.

90
00:07:19,048 –> 00:07:24,124
There are thousands of them and they range from mildly annoying to deadly or entail decades of suffering.

91
00:07:25,008 –> 00:07:28,016
With a powerful tool like CRISPR, we may be able to end this.

92
00:07:30,014 –> 00:07:34,110
Over 3,000 genetic diseases are caused by a single incorrect letter in your DNA.

93
00:07:36,018 –> 00:07:42,084
We are already building a modified
version of CAS9 that is made to change just a single letter, fixing the disease in the cell.

94
00:07:43,084 –> 00:07:46,148
In a decade or two, we could possibly cure thousands of diseases forever.

95
00:07:48,046 –> 00:07:50,140
But all of these medical applications have one thing in common:

96
00:07:51,092 –> 00:07:54,096
they are limited to the individual and die with them,

97
00:07:55,038 –> 00:07:58,094
except if you use them on reproductive cells or very early embryos.

98
00:07:59,006 –> 00:08:02,024
But crisper can and probably will be used for much more:

99
00:08:03,026 –> 00:08:07,034
the creation of modified humans—designer babies—and will mean gradual,

100
00:08:08,003 –> 00:08:11,015
but irreversible changes to the human gene pool.

101
00:08:17,004 –> 00:08:20,070
The means to edit the genome of a human embryo already exists.

102
00:08:21,000 –> 00:08:26,000
Though the technology is still in its early stages, but it has already been attempted twice.

103
00:08:27,026 –> 00:08:34,104
In 2015 and 2016, Chinese scientists experimented with human embryos and were partially successful on their second attempt.

104
00:08:35,068 –> 00:08:38,122
They showed the enormous challenges we still face in gene editing embryos,

105
00:08:39,046 –> 00:08:41,052
but also that scientists are
working on solving them.

106
00:08:42,007 –> 00:08:46,041
This is like the computer in the 70’s. There will be better computers.

107
00:08:48,034 –> 00:08:51,122
Regardless of your personal take on
genetic engineering, it will affect you.

108
00:08:53,036 –> 00:08:58,134
Modified humans could alter the genome of our entire species, because their engineered traits will be passed on to their children

109
00:08:59,054 –> 00:09:03,080
and could spread over generations, slowly modifying the whole gene pool of humanity.

110
00:09:04,064 –> 00:09:08,092
It will start slowly. The first designer babies will not be overly designed.

111
00:09:09,018 –> 00:09:13,062
It’s most likely that they will be created to eliminate a deadly genetic disease running in a family.

112
00:09:14,038 –> 00:09:21,070
As the technology progresses and gets
more refined, more and more people may argue that not using genetic modification is unethical,

113
00:09:21,098 –> 00:09:25,105
because it condemns children to preventable suffering and death and denies them the cure.

114
00:09:27,052 –> 00:09:32,088
But as soon as the first engineered kid is born, a door is opened that can’t be closed anymore.

115
00:09:33,056 –> 00:09:35,130
Early on, vanity traits will mostly be left alone.

116
00:09:36,072 –> 00:09:42,170
But as genetic modification becomes more accepted and our knowledge of our genetic code enhances, the temptation will grow.

117
00:09:44,005 –> 00:09:49,053
If you make your offspring immune to Alzheimer, why not also give them an enhance metabolism?

118
00:09:50,052 –> 00:09:51,144
Why not throw in perfect eyesight?

119
00:09:52,082 –> 00:09:54,116
How about height or muscular structure?

120
00:09:55,056 –> 00:09:55,130
Full hair?

121
00:09:56,072 –> 00:09:59,074
How about giving your child the gift of
extraordinary intelligence?

122
00:10:00,042 –> 00:10:05,100
Huge changes are made as a result of the personal decisions of millions of individuals that accumulate.

123
00:10:06,078 –> 00:10:10,166
This is a slippery slope. Modified humans could become the new standard.

124
00:10:11,096 –> 00:10:14,168
But as engineering becomes more
normal and our knowledge improves,

125
00:10:15,078 –> 00:10:18,144
we could solve the single biggest mortality risk factor: aging.

126
00:10:20,028 –> 00:10:25,066
Two-thirds of the 150,000 people who died today will die of age-related causes.

127
00:10:26,014 –> 00:10:30,022
Currently we think aging is caused by the accumulation of damage to ourselves,

128
00:10:30,022 –> 00:10:34,096
like DNA breaks and the systems responsible for fixing those wearing off over time.

129
00:10:35,068 –> 00:10:37,077
But there are also genes that directly affect aging.

130
00:10:39,000 –> 00:10:45,004
A combination of genetic engineering and other therapy could stop or slow down aging, maybe even reverse it.

131
00:10:46,012 –> 00:10:48,098
We know from nature that there are animals immune to aging.

132
00:10:49,052 –> 00:10:51,061
Maybe we could even borrow a few genes for ourselves.

133
00:10:53,007 –> 00:10:58,065
Some scientists even think biological aging could be something that eventually just stops being a thing.

134
00:10:59,009 –> 00:11:03,081
We would still die at some point, but instead of doing so in hospitals at age 90,

135
00:11:04,084 –> 00:11:06,170
we might be able to spend a few thousand years with our loved ones.

136
00:11:08,048 –> 00:11:10,082
Research into this is in its infancy,

137
00:11:12,024 –> 00:11:15,030
and many scientists are rightly skeptical about the end of aging.

138
00:11:16,004 –> 00:11:19,012
The challenges are enormous and maybe it is unachievable,

139
00:11:20,086 –> 00:11:25,132
but it is conceivable the people alive today might be the first to profit from effective anti aging therapy.

140
00:11:27,018 –> 00:11:31,026
All we might need is for someone to convince a smart billionaire to make it their next problem to solve.

141
00:11:32,098 –> 00:11:36,132
On a bigger scale, we certainly could solve many problems by having a modified population.

142
00:11:37,084 –> 00:11:40,087
Engineered humans might be better equipped to cope with high-energy food,

143
00:11:41,032 –> 00:11:44,050
eliminating many diseases of civilization like obesity.

144
00:11:44,096 –> 00:11:47,188
In possession of a modified immune system, with a library of potential threats,

145
00:11:49,014 –> 00:11:52,068
we might become immune to most diseases that haunt us today.

146
00:11:53,022 –> 00:11:57,031
Even further into the future, we could engineer humans to be equipped for extended space travel

147
00:11:58,074 –> 00:12:00,118
and to cope with different conditions on another planet,

148
00:12:02,006 –> 00:12:07,007
which would be extremely helpful in
keeping us alive in our hostile universe.

149
00:12:11,052 –> 00:12:15,104
Still, a few major challenges await us: some technological, some ethical.

150
00:12:17,048 –> 00:12:23,056
Many of you watching will feel uncomfortable and fear that we will create a world in which we will reject non-perfect humans

151
00:12:23,082 –> 00:12:26,154
and pre-select features and qualities based on our idea of what’s healthy.

152
00:12:28,036 –> 00:12:30,041
The thing is we are already living in
this world.

153
00:12:31,034 –> 00:12:37,034
Tests for dozens of genetic diseases or complications have become standard for pregnant women in much of the world.

154
00:12:38,052 –> 00:12:42,053
Often the mere suspicion of a genetic defect can lead to the end of a pregnancy.

155
00:12:44,058 –> 00:12:47,122
Take Down syndrome for example, one of the most common genetic defects.

156
00:12:48,098 –> 00:12:52,136
In Europe, about 90 % of all pregnancies where it’s detected are terminated.

157
00:12:54,006 –> 00:12:57,028
The decision to terminate pregnancy is incredibly personal,

158
00:12:57,052 –> 00:13:01,060
but it’s important to acknowledge the reality that we are pre-selecting humans based on medical conditions.

159
00:13:03,014 –> 00:13:05,018
There is also no use in pretending this will change,

160
00:13:05,068 –> 00:13:11,080
so we have to act carefully and respectfully as we advance the technology and can make more and more
selections.

161
00:13:12,007 –> 00:13:13,075
But none of this will happen soon.

162
00:13:15,016 –> 00:13:19,068
As powerful as CRISPR is—and it is, it’s not infallible yet.

163
00:13:20,026 –> 00:13:25,112
Wrong edits still happen as well as unknown errors that can occur anywhere in the DNA and might go unnoticed.

164
00:13:26,082 –> 00:13:29,088
The gene edit might achieve the desired result—disabling a disease,

165
00:13:30,062 –> 00:13:33,063
but also might accidentally trigger unwanted changes.

166
00:13:34,003 –> 00:13:39,006
We just don’t know enough yet about the
complex interplay of our genes to avoid unpredictable consequences.

167
00:13:40,082 –> 00:13:45,108
Working on accuracy and monitoring methods is a major concern as the first human trials begin.

168
00:13:46,066 –> 00:13:50,078
And since we’ve discussed a possible positive future, there are dark visions too.

169
00:13:52,001 –> 00:13:56,003
Imagine what a state like North Korea
could do if they embraced genetic engineering.

170
00:13:57,012 –> 00:14:01,060
Could a state cement its rule forever by forcing gene editing on their subjects?

171
00:14:02,074 –> 00:14:07,078
What would stop a totalitarian regime from engineering an army of modified super soldiers?

172
00:14:08,001 –> 00:14:09,033
It is doable in theory.

173
00:14:10,036 –> 00:14:14,122
Scenarios like this one are far, far off into the future, if they ever become possible at all.

174
00:14:15,078 –> 00:14:19,083
But the basic proof of concept for genetic engineering like this already exists today.

175
00:14:20,058 –> 00:14:22,072
The technology really is that powerful.

176
00:14:23,032 –> 00:14:29,046
While this might be a tempting reason to ban genetic editing and related research, that would certainly be a mistake.

177
00:14:30,041 –> 00:14:33,119
Banning human genetic engineering would only lead to the science wandering off

178
00:14:34,019 –> 00:14:37,047
to a place with jurisdiction and rules
that we are uncomfortable with.

179
00:14:38,048 –> 00:14:44,146
Only by participating can we make sure that further research is guided by caution, reason, oversight, and transparency.

180
00:14:50,006 –> 00:14:51,062
Do you feel uncomfortable now?

181
00:14:52,018 –> 00:14:53,025
Most of us have something wrong with them.

182
00:14:54,005 –> 00:14:57,097
In the future that lies ahead of us, would we have been allowed to exist?

183
00:14:59,024 –> 00:15:02,108
The technology is certainly a bit scary, but we have a lot to gain,

184
00:15:03,008 –> 00:15:08,090
and genetic engineering might just be a step in the natural evolution of intelligence species in the universe.

185
00:15:09,056 –> 00:15:10,138
We might end disease.

186
00:15:11,007 –> 00:15:15,055
We could extend our life expectancy by centuries and travel to the stars.

187
00:15:16,072 –> 00:15:18,079
There’s no need to think small when it comes to this topic.

188
00:15:20,006 –> 00:15:24,042
Whatever your opinion on genetic engineering, the future is approaching no matter what.

189
00:15:25,001 –> 00:15:29,083
What has been insane science fiction is about to become our new reality,

190
00:15:30,016 –> 00:15:34,016
a reality full of opportunities and challenges.

191
00:15:38,048 –> 00:15:41,057
Videos like this would not be possible without few donations on patreon.com.

192
00:15:42,062 –> 00:15:47,064
If you want to support to explaining complicated stuff and maybe get your own bird in return, you can do so here.

193
00:15:48,034 –> 00:15:52,037
If you want to learn more about CRISPR, we put the sources and further reading in the description.

194
00:15:53,016 –> 00:15:55,042
More videos about the whole topic area will follow.

195
00:15:55,009 –> 00:15:57,018
If you want to be notified when it happens, you can follow us here.

Leave a Reply