YVONNE: GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THE PROGRESS YOU HAVE MADE WITH
THESE LARGE-SCALE TESTS.
>> YES, WE ARE BUILDING THIS NEXT GENERATION OF PRODUCTS.
CRISPER CAN ACTUALLY BE USED FOR DIAGNOSTICS AS WELL.
THAT SPEAKS TO THIS PROGRAMMATIC WAY OF INTERACTING
IN THE SAME WAY WE DO WITH COMPUTERS AND SOFTWARE.
WE ARE EXCITED TO WORK WITH THE NIH TO ADVANCE THE TECHNOLOGY,
AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN PUBLISHED SOME PAPERS SHOWING REAL
PATIENT EXAMPLES. YVONNE:
HOW DOES THIS DIFFERENTIATE YOUR FIRM FROM OTHER FIRMS?
>> WHAT WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT IN TERMS OF WHAT IT ENABLES, IS
HAVING TO MAKE THIS CHOICE BETWEEN WHAT IS ACCURATE OR
ACCESSIBLE AND EASY TO USE IN SOMETHING YOU CAN DO AT HOME.
WE THINK THE POWER OF CRISPR IS BRIDGING THAT GAP. YVONNE:
WHEN IT COMES TO NEW TECHNOLOGIES, THERE IS
SKEPTICISM AND WORRY ABOUT HOW THIS WILL LEAD TO.
>> WE DO A LOT OF EDUCATION ON OUR WEBSITE, WHERE WE DESCRIBE
IN DETAIL HOW CRISPR CAN BE USED AS A DIAGNOSTIC AND
EDITING TOOL. YVONNE: TELL US ABOUT THIS TECHNOLOGY.
IT'S NOT ONLY COVID, BUT ALMOST ANY TARGET, ANY DISEASE.
TELL US ABOUT WHAT THIS DOZEN WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS
AVAILABLE IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD, BECAUSE THAT IS A KEY
ISSUE OF THE PANDEMIC, THAT DIVIDE, RIGHT?
>> YES. ACCESSIBILITY IS INCREDIBLY
IMPORTANT, NOT JUST THE U.S., BUT WORLDWIDE.
THAT IS THE LONG-TERM PROMISE OF CRISPR, HAVING MORE EQUALITY
AND ACCESS ACROSS THE GLOBE. IT IS A PLATFORM.
WHEN WE DEVELOP THIS FOR A SPECIFIC INDICATION LIKE
COVID-19, THAT CAN BE TRANSFERRED TO OTHER DISEASES.
THAT IS WHAT IS VERY POWERFUL.
YOU GET THIS FLYWHEEL GOING AND LEARNING HOW TO DEVELOP THE
NEXT TESTS OF ETC. -- TESTS, ETC.
YVONNE: WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT
WORKING WITH PARTNERS ON THE EDITING SIDE?
>> WE HAVE PIONEERED AN ULTRASMALL VARIANT, WHERE THEY
ARE BETTER AT BEING DELIVERED IN YOUR BODY, AND THAT IS GENE
EDITING IN PARTICULAR, AN AREA WHERE WE ARE EXCITED TO UNLOCK
THESE CURES FOR GENETIC DISEASES. YVONNE: WHAT DISEASES?
>> WE DON'T HAVE SPECIFIC INDICATIONS THAT ARE PUBLIC,
BUT THINGS WHERE WE WANT TO HAVE A PERMANENT CURE, FOR
EXAMPLE, GENETIC DISEASES. YVONNE: TELL US ABOUT THE NEW
INNOVATIONS IN HEALTH CARE FOR YOUR COMPANY AND BROADLY IN THE
INDUSTRY THAT EXCITE YOU RIGHT NOW.
>> WHAT IS EXCITING AS THESE CRISPR PLATFORMS ARE SPINNING
UP , YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACTUALLY LEARN FROM IT AND
TACKLE MULTIPLE IMPLICATIONS BEYOND THAT.
WE HAVE SEEN THAT WITH MRNA, AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL SEE
INCREASINGLY RAPID PROGRESS IN BIOLOGY. YVONNE:
WE HAVE HAD SO MANY LESSONS FROM THIS PANDEMIC.
THIS FORUM HAS FACILITATIVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT WE ARE
SEEING IN GLOBAL SYSTEMS. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST TAKE AWAY FROM
THE PANDEMIC?
>> AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE.
IT IS AN OLD SAYING, BUT TRUE. WE ARE SPENDING TRILLIONS OF
DOLLARS EVERY MONTH WORLDWIDE TO BATTLE THIS PANDEMIC, AND TO
PROTECT AGAINST THE NEXT PANDEMIC, WE NEED TO MAKE
SMALLER INVESTMENTS NOW SO WE CAN CONTAIN AND PREVENT AND
TREAT PEOPLE IN A MUCH MORE EFFICIENT MANNER EARLY ON.
YVONNE: DO YOU THINK THE AWARENESS IS
THERE? ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO
MAINTAIN AND SUSTAIN THIS EFFORT POST-PANDEMIC, AND NOT
JUST A CRISIS RESPONSE?
>> I HOPE THAT IS TRUE. I THINK FORUMS LIKE THIS ARE A
GOOD EXAMPLE OF PEOPLE TRYING TO THINK LONG-TERM ABOUT THE
PANDEMIC AND ECONOMY IN GENERAL, SO I AM HOPEFUL, BUT
IT REQUIRES US TO CONSTANTLY PUSH THAT ENVELOPE TO MAKE SURE
WE DON'T RETURN TO THE STATUS QUO, BECAUSE WE MIGHT END UP
HERE AGAIN.