The tech revolution isn't just about robots who love anal.
It's about slightly more.
There's a biotech revolution happening that's bringing us
closer to a future where disease is a thing of the past.
Woman: Gene editing. That's what they call it.
And it uses something called the CRISPR system.
They're hoping that someday doctors might be able
to turn off the genes that are making people sick.
Thank you.
Thank you for explaining it to me like I'm 5.
"Doctors might be able to turn off the sick genes."
See, that's that kind of science I can understand.
In other news, North Korea might stop testing bang-bangs
that will make people melty.
Using CRISPR, scientists have been able
to develop drought-resistant crops,
wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes,
and improve organ donation.
Woman: Scientists used cloning and gene editing
to create virus-free piglets.
Their organs could one day be used to help the hundreds
of thousands of people awaiting transplants.
"Good news. We found a donor.
Better news. You're now safe from Jewish cannibals!
[ Laughter ]
Oink vey."
Some gene therapies are even able to treat
certain forms of leukemia.
Amazing, but don't get too hopeful. This is America.
If you want to access this country's cutting-edge
medical advancement, it's going to cost you.
Man: David, take us through the cost for this.
I want to get this right. This is eye-popping.
Almost half a million dollars. $475,000?
Man: What Novartis, the pharmaceutical company,
negotiated with the Center for Medicare Services,
which is the U.S. government,
is that you only have to pay
if the child is in remission
at one month.
So you only pay
if the drug works.
Terrific!
The treatment costs more than a house,
but it has the same return policy as a new mattress.
Try it for a month,
and if you're not happy with the results,
just ship us your dead loved ones,
and we'll give you a full refund.
So if miracle genetic cures
cost hundreds of thousands of dollars,
what are we supposed to do?
Experiment on ourselves like some sort of mad scientist?
Woman: Here in this downtown Oakland community center,
over 100 citizen scientists gathered
for the BioHack the Planet conference.
Many of them have set up labs in garages
and don't have any formal degree whatsoever.
A home CRISPR kit costs $160.
You can literally order DNA online
and just [bleep] around with it in your garage.
And a lot of people might think that's wrong
because you shouldn't "play God."
But come on. Everything we do is playing God.
You take medicine, playing God. Artificial food, playing God.
God didn't want any of this shit.
Like, anyone who thinks that you shouldn't play God
deserves to die from a cold in an empty cave
where the only form of entertainment is your brother
being eaten by a sabertooth tiger.
[ Cheers and applause ]
I'm not worried about God.
I'm worried about some idiot
who doesn't know what he's doing.
Or, worse, some idiot who
Woman: The code for how smallpox can be made,
it's just available on the Internet.
Woman: And we worry that eventually
this will become easier for people to do with smallpox,
and somebody in their kitchen would be able to do this.
It's like a Blue Apron of bioterrorism.
"With a few fresh ingredients and some simple instructions,
you can make a classic smallpox your whole family will die for!
I like to sprinkle some polio on the top.
It's not for everyone, but I like the taste."
But that's what it's come to.
If pharma companies won't make
life-saving treatments affordable,
we may end up relying on DIY geneticists
building cures in their basements.
The question is, can we really trust them?
Man: Ascendance Biomedical is run by one guy --
Aaron Traywick.
It makes sense as a company to provide those therapies
to individuals who want to, uhhhh...
experiment.
If guys like him are the future of medicine,
then I'm pretty sure we're all fuhhhh...
[Bleep]