BiohackingDEC. 2015MAKERSPACE.CA

Agenda

▪ Two historical roots▪ Human performance enhancement▪ Genetic engineering▪ The two are meeting today▪ Futures▪ Longevity▪ Human intelligence enhancement▪ Designer babies▪ The role of the hackerspace

Human Performance Enhancement

▪ Buttermind – Seth Roberts▪ http://quantifiedself.com/

2011/01/results-of-the-buttermind-experiment/

Chlorophyll eyes – Gariel Licinahttp://nerdist.com/chlorophyll-eye-drops-turned-this-biohacker-into-riddick/

RFID implants – Zoltan Istvanhttp://www.techinsider.io/presidential-candidate-zoltan-istvan-gets-an-rfid-chip-implant-2015-9

Human Performance Enhancement

Northpawhttp://sensebridge.net/projects/northpaw/

OpenBCI - http://www.openbci.com/

tDCS – transcranial direct current stimulation

Genetic Engineering

▪ Easiest to start with bacteria▪ Yeast is also possible▪ iGEM - http://igem.org/

ScienceTechnology

Genetic Engineering

Genetic Engineering

▪ Safety categories and legalities▪ Safety Category One▪ Known organisms with no risk to environmental release or

human health▪ Most iGEM projects can fall in here▪ Will be regulated in 2016▪ Safety Category Two▪ Environmental sampling and cultures▪ Non-attenuated E. coli, S. aureus, etc.▪ http://canadianbiosafetystandards.collaboration.gc.ca/

index-eng.php

Genetics and health

▪ 23andme▪ Public genome project – $1K genome for purchase▪ Ubiome, SecondGenome, American Gut, etc.▪ Look at American Gut results, Ubiome▪ Promethease▪ That year I gave my sister the gift of Alzheimers▪ Look at promethease results▪ Arivale – Lee Hood, Institute for Systems Biology▪ Review Arivale results▪ MTHFR in promethease

Modifying Genomes

● Chromosomal DNA editing● Similar to zinc fingers and TALENs, but RNA● Already in the hackerspaces! Kind of. (BioCurious,

AddGene)

Reading and writing genes

Writing is getting rapidly cheaper, currently about 25 cents per base. Twist is in alpha on a scalable silicone synthesis platform at 10 cents a base. They hope to be at 2 cents a base in 2 years (That’s still $64 million per human genome, though.)

Futures: longevity

▪ Methuselah Mouse Prize▪ Supercentenarians - http://

journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0112430▪ Caloric restriction▪ Metformin and rapamycin

Futures: intelligence

▪ Beijing Genomics Institute▪ 25% of the world’s sequencing capacity▪ Whole cities devoted to biomedical research▪ Cognitive Genomics▪ https://www.cog-genomics.org/▪ 5 year program to sequence 10,000 people to determine genetic

correlates of intelligence▪ Into their 2nd year and accelerating▪ Postulate 100 genes most relevant to intelligence, deleterious

mutations are like sand in the machine▪ If all 100 pointed in most favourable direction see 15 SD

enhancement▪ 1 SD of IQ is 15 IQ points, therefore engineered human intelligence of

over 300 IQ

Futures: designer babies

▪ Moratorium on CRISPR work on germline in humans▪ Simply don’t know enough yet▪ Regulation in Canada and the US is fairly restrictive▪ This is an intelligence arms race…▪ If in a generation we have not permitted human genetic

modification and other places have, will we be competitive or obsolete?

Role of the hackerspaces

▪ Education▪ Can’t stop learning when you leave school anymore

▪ Push the envelope▪ Imagine the future, push our laws and society towards the light

▪ Reskill▪ Biology as information science

▪ Grassroots▪ What would you like to see engineered? I bet it’s not big agriculture and

pesticide resistance…▪ Businesses▪ There’s a shift underway in how businesses are started and run, think small▪ https://agenda.weforum.org/podcast/podcast-the-fourth-industrial-

revolution/

What will you make?What will you make of yourself?DEREKJA@MAKERSPACE.CA