Biological Revolution
How the revolution in biotechnology has changed people's lives
Artem Elmuratov, Co-Founder, Development Director of Genotek
Vasilisa Kirilochkina, journalist
"Snob"
A genetic revolution is taking place before our eyes: biotechnologies are changing medicine, agriculture and other important areas. We talk about the most high-profile cases of genetic interference in our lives
We all know perfectly well that we live in the era of the technological revolution and enjoy its fruits every day. The most striking example: before our eyes, gadgets are shrinking in size, and their capacities are steadily growing. This phenomenon is called "Moore's law", according to which computers become twice as powerful every two years. While we are amazed at the next innovations in iPhones, genetic technologies that are less noticeable to ordinary people are also progressing, and far ahead of computer ones. The first human genome was completely sequenced (read) in 2001. Then it took 11 years and $3 billion. Today it is done in three months and several thousand dollars. Compare: over the past 16 years, the power of IT technologies has grown 250 times, and genetic technologies - almost a million.
It may seem that such a leap in the development of biotechnology has had little impact on everyday life, but in fact genetics affects many areas of our lives. And sometimes it radically changes it.
Genealogy
Five years ago, the Irish American Ellis Collins Plebuch decided to do a genealogical DNA test exclusively for entertainment purposes. The test showed that Ellis is half Jewish. After experiencing the first shock, the woman organized a full-fledged investigation and found out that in 1913 her father was confused in the maternity hospital.
There are a great many such stories. There is a DNA Detectives group on Facebook, in which almost one hundred thousand people search for information about their ancestors based on genetic tests. DNA tests allow you not only to learn more about your ancestry, but also to get rid of harmful stereotypes.
This idea was perfectly illustrated by The DNA Journey project, in which 67 people of different nationalities participated. DNA tests have shown how much different "blood" is actually mixed in them. For example, a young Briton with a dislike for Germans was amazed when he discovered 25% of German genes.
Criminalistics
Mistakes can occur not only in maternity hospitals. In 1985, American Kirk Bloodsworth was found guilty of the rape and murder of a 9-year-old girl. He was sentenced to death. While waiting for death, Kirk spent 8 years in prison until he insisted on conducting a DNA examination. The genetic examination showed that Kirk did not commit a crime. Later in 2003, information about the DNA of a real criminal got into the US state database. The crime was solved. This is a vivid example of how genetics has transformed the judicial process and the investigation of crimes in general.
Another high-profile story happened a few years ago in Russia: the identity of the suicide bomber who committed a terrorist attack at the Domodedovo airport was established using DNA research. To do this, the genomes of his relatives were compared with the genetic material from the crime scene.
Agricultural industry
Genetic technologies allow us to influence what we eat and, ultimately, our health.
Today, directional breeding is actively developing, taking into account genetic markers. According to the UN, in most of Africa (from the Sahara to the southern coast), almost every fourth person suffers from hunger, that is, more than 220 million inhabitants. The UN-supported African Orphan Crops Consortium is trying to overcome hunger by studying the genomes of traditional African cultivated plants to improve the quality and quantity of food produced in the region.
For similar purposes, genetic modification is also used. But the attitude to this technology in society is ambiguous (of course, outside of science – there is a consensus in the scientific community about the absence of harm to GMOs). A striking example is the genetically modified "golden rice", which contains a lot of beta-carotene. The introduction of this variety could overcome vitamin A deficiency in Asia. Unfortunately, Greenpeace actively opposes it, and radical activists have ruined experimental fields. In 2016, hundreds of Nobel Prize laureates signed an open letter to Greenpeace asking them to stop campaigning against GMOs and "golden rice" in particular. It remains to be hoped that conservationists will listen to an authoritative opinion.
Microbiology
However, genomic editing technologies have unambiguous successes accepted by society: since the early 1980s, pharmaceutical companies have taught E. coli to produce insulin by introducing the corresponding human gene into it. Almost half a billion people in the world suffering from diabetes use bioengineering achievements every day and actually depend on them.
Incredibly, but a fact: genetic engineering today can be done without leaving home. Of course, we are not talking about the amateurish development of new food or medicines, but in the literal sense, everyone can play with the genome. DIY kits (from the English do It yourself – DIY) for DNA modification in the States can be bought for less than $ 200. With this kit, you can make ordinary baking yeast glow in the dark. To do this, a jellyfish gene called GFP (Green Fluorescent Protein, green fluorescent protein) is introduced into their DNA.
Medicine
The use of genetics in medicine is much broader than the production of insulin. Genomic technologies are used in pharmaceuticals, family planning and prevention of socially significant diseases. The latest developments in the field of oncology treatment are also related to genetics. And DNA tests allow not only to diagnose genetic diseases, but also to eradicate them.
Perhaps the most striking example of the "healing" of an entire population using DNA testing relates to Ashkenazi communities in North America. The fact is that Ashkenazi Jews often had a severe hereditary Tay-Sachs disease, which leads to the early death of a child. Since the 1970s, communities have begun to prevent this disease - to carry out genetic screening of young people at the family planning stage – and thus reduced its frequency tenfold. Today, Tay-Sachs disease in the United States is less common among Ashkenazim than among representatives of other nations.
Now the first steps are being taken in gene therapy – this is no longer just reading the genome, but a full-fledged intervention. The first gene therapy drugs have already been registered in the USA - for example, gene therapy for the treatment of a rare type of blindness was approved at the end of last year.
In fact, there is not a single area in modern medicine where genetics has not penetrated. And the future is definitely hers.
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