There are the sick, there are the hungry.
The planet is growing,
the planet is warming.
We need to do things about that and we can.
We have the power to change things using gene editing.
CRISPR in principle is the solution.
What CRISPR does is provide
scientists with a tool to change
DNA sequences in plants, animals, humans.
CRISPR has the possibility to end diseases like
sickle cell anemia, HIV, malaria.
Built crops to meet the needs of a growing planet.
The potential is just incredible.
[MUSIC]
It is very important for people to
understand the technology CRISPR.
We have to communicate to
the public in a language that's honest,
that does not talk down, and that helps.
Frankly, I don't think science is the language.
[MUSIC].
Most people look at science and
art as two different dimension.
But to me it's really interrelated.
In science, we pursue the truth.
We want to answer questions.
But in art, I never answer questions.
But I get to ask interesting questions.
This is my artwork, crisp paper.
I call it crisp paper because it's
a combination of CRISPR and paper.
They are made out of primarily CRISPR edited race.
I looked at it as a combination
of the modern technology which is
ancient paper-making art using CRISPR technology,
we have the power to change things.
What do we want to change?
I think that is why we are going to all think
about precise for the policymakers, for the society.
How are we going to take advantage of
this very powerful and technological invention?
The mission of the Innovative Genomics Institute is to
take the marvel that is CRISPR and
the extraordinary power of
precise genetic engineering to
make a difference in the real-world.
How does CRISPR work?
Imagine you're trying to edit text.
What's step one?
You have to identify
which section of text you want to edit.
CRISPR can be programmed to find
a specific stretch of DNA inside a living cell.
It runs inside the cell,
goes into the nucleus and defines
precisely the gene that we asked it to find.
Then it's very much like word processing.
You hit "Backspace,
backspace", and you type in your text.
What is the molecular equivalent of backspace backspace,
believe it or not, you're actually cut the DNA.
Cracking the DNA open gives scientists
the opportunity to change
DNA precisely where the break occurs.
For example, we can get rid of a gene that
causes a plant to be susceptible to a disease.
Or we can add a mutation
that will give a plant a beneficial trait.
We're very mindful of the fact that
we're not building solutions in a vacuum.
We're building solutions that people
worldwide will want to accept and use.
And yet, history teaches us that if we
just show up and tell the world,
look at our CRISPR based solutions
that are animals, that are humans.
Come all, take a ticket, get in line.
That's not what's going to happen.
Some innovation is welcome.
Other innovation is not.
Whenever there's a new piece of technology that's
being developed, for example, CRISPR.
Most people have the first reaction.
Fear. It's scary.
What is going to happen was gene editing was
this new powerful CRISPR technology.
But at the same time,
how are we going to take
advantage of this very powerful piece of
new technological invention without the fear?
The IGI was excited to bring art into what we do.
People don't want equations,
people don't want formulas.
Ultimately, art is the only language that is universal.
As stochastic labs,
we support people working at
the intersection of art, technology and science.
We created this program called CRISPR uncommon.
It's creative considerations and genomic innovation.
The idea was to bring the artists
into the community with the scientists to get
them to be part of the ethical conversations and to
be really up on
the research that was going on in this area.
We have a big problem with the future world population.
We're just growing and growing and growing.
We still haven't figured out completely how to
solve the nutrition and the food supply problem.
Do you remember the name of the gene that
is CRISPR edited out? [NOISE].
Yeah. [inaudible].
We do gene modifications on a lot of different species.
But I personally worked with
rice and two projects are very dear to my heart.
It's the improvement of grain yield.
Is also disease resistance.
If we actually can boost the immune system of the plants,
we can get rid of all the pesticides we use right now.
We can protect the farmers and the consumers.
When the fibers gets stronger and harder,
it's good for the paper-making.
The collaboration with Sheng Ying
was actually very unexpected for me.
These plants use later and her art.
I use them essentially to try out
CRISPR and confirm the technology is working well,
here in the sled. [NOISE]
I begin with choosing the right pieces than the leaves.
[MUSIC]
Then started to process to pulp,
primarily involving cooking them.
Then also with some chemicals
to break down the unwanted components.
It's a funny smell. The longer you cook it,
the more smell will come out.
[NOISE] I could do different things with it.
For example, changing the colors
or making different density,
so then eventually it turns out to be
visually very different on the final artwork.
Once the pulp is prepared,
now I start the actual papermaking process, which is,
primarily using my hands to shape the paper in
all the three-dimensional structure and
the color is formed with the movement.
It is recording basically
just my hand movement and making a paper froze at a time.
Art is a living being
that is expressing the ideas that as talking with you,
inviting you to think about things around you,
including thinking about science,
thinking about technology, even
thinking about the art you are looking at.
The reason to use paper is to put the scary, fearful,
new piece of technology in
this very comfortable familiar material.
That could make us feel this is okay to live with it.
This is okay to leverage the advantage of this piece of
technology as long as it is within a comfortable zone.
Ten thousand years ago in Neolithic China,
folks domesticated a wild plant,
which we now call rice.
In process of selective breeding
to give themselves a grain that feeds them,
the Neolithic Chinese introduced a wealth
of genetic changes into the DNA of that crop,
and here we are with many varieties of tasty rice,
not one of them genetically
looking like the original parent.
The 20th century has been the first
one where humans have started to take
directed control over their own genetic destiny
and the genetic destiny of the world around them.
CRISPR is different because of
our ability to not engineer Mother Nature,
but instead to collaborate with her.
This is our machine that we use to deliver DNA to tissue.
We call it the gene gun.
That goes in,
[NOISE] then we put our DNA in,
and finally our rice cells.
We create a vacuum in the chamber
and we allow the pressure to build up and
then at a point it
breaks and it shoots the DNA into the tissue.
These cells now have new DNA inside of them.
Over the next few days to a week,
the DNA will start to make its way to the nucleus
and we'll start to make the edits that we wanted in them.
[NOISE]
I got it. Thank you.
This is the tissue culture room.
Here we grow our plant materials.
Jackie just introduced the DNA and CRISPR
reagents into the plant cells for us. Thank you.
Now, we need to
put them into the dark
because after the stressful treatment,
they need to have some rest and also we need
the CRISPR reagent to be
active and actually make the cut.
Hopefully in the end we will have the ideal rice plant.
For example, this means we increase
the grain number a lot
through adding more branches to the flower.
This really has a high impact
because you get more grain for one flower.
Then we will also reduce the number of
stems in the plant to make the plant more compact.
This is a super high effect because you
can grow much more plants in a smaller field.
You get also a much higher yield.
Honestly, if you ask me,
I think it's a revolutionary technology.
Already at the IGI,
we're doing 15 different plant species
that we try to improve.
We work together with agriculture institutes around
the world in Africa, Colombia, and Mexico.
They're going to help us to choose the best plants.
We really think we're going to have
a high impact in different environments that are
maybe troubled by climate change or even in
environments where the soil is poor.
[MUSIC]
Paper is such a thing that's so fragile,
and we all know that paper wouldn't last forever.
[LAUGHTER] Finally.
Just because of that,
we put in extra care to
protect this piece of paper
if it has certain content on there,
maybe it's a letter from their loved one,
maybe it's a piece of artwork,
and we know that it's not going to last forever,
that makes you want to protect it even more.
It makes you value it differently.
What is going to change if our lives could last forever?
For example, if CRISPR could
cure all the diseases in our human body,
if CRISPR could allow the rice to
keep growing and keep exactly the same genes,
same quality in generations after generations.
Would that change our views?
Would that change our perception and
feelings towards our life,
our society, and our future?
[BACKGROUND]
I think there's a popular perception
around science and technology that it's
something that is being developed behind
closed doors and that we don't
really have an opportunity as
just regular people to influence the future of.
I think that we're actually all incredibly
wrong when we think that way. [OVERLAPPING]
Yeah, Well, I love your work.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
You also see the plant coming out of the paper.
The plant is pretty much all dead.
But you have this plant coming out which resembles life.
[BACKGROUND] To me when I think
about how life plays into that,
I think about the ways that CRISPR is being
marshaled to pull that life,
extend life, and bring it out against
this background of people's disease
or chronic illnesses, or something like that.
On the shadow end, I was like, "Well,
what unintended consequences can arise from that?"
[MUSIC] My dream and hope is that folks will see this,
and I hope that many people do,
will start to ask themselves an open-ended question.
How do you feel about the fact that the rice that
was used to make this gorgeousness is CRISPR?
It doesn't bother you? Does it scare you?
Why? What is bothersome?
What is scary? [MUSIC] Will this happen?
Will this inspire people
to think about how they think about the natural?
I have no idea. It inspired me.
[MUSIC]