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CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

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Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#151

Post by onlyrealcuzzo »

dcwardell wrote: post #73

Crazy genetics ideas I would like explored A modified tree that drops nuts of (nearly) pure graphite or some other form of nondecomposable carbon which we can easily harvest and sequester. Photosynthesis in humans to supplement our energy consumption. Shoutout to Knights of Sidonia. I understand the ethical issues surrounding the second one.

As someone who knows next to nothing about genetics, it's interesting to me that we haven't engineered a tree that grows faster than a hybrid poplar but thicker than a oak or sequoia (for carbon sequestration, and lumber).

An added benefit would be if the wood after harvested lasted longer than a cedar.

I'm guessing the reason this isn't possible is more due to the fact that it's just not financially worth the investment than it being too difficult.

But I'd love to hear from someone who knows more about this stuff.

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#152

Post by DoctorNick »

civilized wrote: post #132
DoctorNick wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The record breaking temperatures that I'm suffering in the PNW right now serves as a grim reminder that we won't have much of a future, even with all this cool tech.

There are populated areas whose livability is threatened by climate change. These are in very poor, low-latitude regions like Northern India. Sorry to burst your bubble, but PNWers will have the privilege of surviving and thriving with relatively minimal issue. As always, the consequences of the environmental sins of the global wealthy, like you and me and most HNers, will be borne by the global poor in other places.…

I don't know if you've noticed, but the political process is completely fucking broken. Good fucking luck getting any of that passed in any meaningful form.

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#153

Post by nr2x »

chr1 wrote: post #103
nr2x wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if we reforested every possible area, the current rate of carbon outlay exceeds capacity to absorb. Well explained in the Economist video: https://youtu.be/EXkbdELr4EQ

If we could convert Sahara back into a savannah or farms, the amount of carbon required for the new soil and plants would exceed the amount of extra carbon we have added to the atmosphere so far. And there are many viable routes to do that. E.g. building large number of ocean thermal energy conversion plants [1] to reduce temperature of the north hemisphere, recreating conditions that have caused green Sahara in the…

So there’s one minor problem with the Sahara…

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#154

Post by WheelsAtLarge »

ausbah wrote: post #43

>Doctors infused billions of microscopic structures known as nanoparticles carrying genetic instructions for the CRISPR gene-editor into four patients in London and two in New Zealand. The nanoparticles were absorbed by their livers, where they unleashed armies of CRISPR gene-editors. The CRISPR editor honed in on the target gene in the liver and sliced it, disabling production of the destructive protein. this is one…

100%, the mRNA vaccines fall into this future category too. Being able to use RNA to direct cells to do what we need is mind blowing.

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#155

Post by anonuser123456 »

nitrogen wrote: post #86
DoctorNick wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The record breaking temperatures that I'm suffering in the PNW right now serves as a grim reminder that we won't have much of a future, even with all this cool tech.

Stop with the doom trolling and get busy inventing solutions.

This++

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#156

Post by DoreenMichele »

ohbleek wrote: post #149
DoreenMichele wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recently watched the two videos on this (that I'm aware of) and it's the first time gene therapy didn't strike me as macabre Frankensteinian experiments on vulnerable people who will say "yes" to all kinds of crazy stuff out of desperation. Cystic fibrosis significantly impacts gut function and many people with it do poorly with dairy products. I could see this and/or some variation of this being valuable therapy f…

CFTR modulators have completely transformed CF treatment for +90% of patients. Gene therapy is a possibility, however, with there being +1000 possible mutations that can lead to CF, it’s not the clear cut candidate that some of the other rare genetic disorders are right now. The cynic in me also thinks that with CFTR modulators costing ~350k/year, drug companies may not feel incentivized to run the risky gene therapy…

That honestly doesn't fit with my understanding of how life, the universe and everything works. I did some searching and this source says that 85 percent of people with CF have at least one F508del mutation:

https://pediatricsnationwide.org/2019/11/25/a-major-mileston...

And this source agrees with your statement:

The triple therapy, known as Trikafta, could effectively treat 90% of people with cystic fibrosis.

https://pediatricsnationwide.org/2019/11/25/a-major-mileston...

When I was on CF lists, I was hearing that the first drug in this class that had recently come out only helped five percent of people with CF (I was specifically hearing that it helped people who were double F508del and that was only five percent of all CF patients, IIRC) at a cost of at least $250k annually, so "if you can afford it or live in a country that covers that for you."

I was also hearing people say that some of the stats were dummied up and exaggerated because so much money was at stake.

I left all the CF lists years ago. The figures I'm seeing today don't fit with what's in my head and I don't know how to sort out what's true and what's PR nonsense and it doesn't really matter to me personally. I and my son with CF are both off all drugs and have lived on very little money for years.

Good for them. I'm sure this makes me even more irrelevant, "crazy" and stupid in the eyes of the world than I was already. Which is no big deal. I don't really care. I'm just leaving this comment because I asked you for a citation and then found my own and deleted my comment.

I don't want people to think I'm being a weasel or anything. The articles I'm finding seem to agree with you. I don't know what to make of that and it's not really relevant to my life. I will never have the money for these drugs and don't really care.

Have a good day.

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#157

Post by TOMDM »

stavros wrote: post #128
nitrogen wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a curve to most people's response to levels of advocacy. The response rises with advocacy to a point, but then past a certain point, the response drops precipitously. When the advocacy turns into over-the-top vehemence, people tend to stop responding and may even respond negatively (i.e. rebel and go full anti-whatever). As an example of a similar drastic falloff at the top of a response curve, I recall readi…

Hmm, that's interesting about the dam, though I wonder whether only the people who wouldn't fear a dam collapse would live next to one.

Or if living closer to a dam means you are more likely to be better informed as to the construction and safety margins and thus less likely to think catastrophic failure is likely.

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#158

Post by WheelsAtLarge »

It's only a matter of time before we use this to cosmetically modify our bodies. I predict that at the very least we'll use this technic to change our hair color and eye color. I will even say skin color too, with-in the next 50 years.

Most people won't use it but there will be an active market , legal or illegal, for the modifications. The Sci-Fi future is here.

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#159

Post by kortilla »

nr2x wrote: post #72
cj wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not impossible to speculate the possibility that in 50-100 years, climate change could be reversed through a CRISPR-like technology (e.g. something that can be released and replicate in the environment, thereby changing it). Or at the very least, I can see a future where gene editing could relieve your suffering from heat by raising the threshold your body can tolerate :)

At current rates of carbon outlay, there won’t be much of a world left to save in 100 years.

That statement isn’t backed by science

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#160

Post by toomuchtodo »

dcwardell wrote: post #73

Crazy genetics ideas I would like explored A modified tree that drops nuts of (nearly) pure graphite or some other form of nondecomposable carbon which we can easily harvest and sequester. Photosynthesis in humans to supplement our energy consumption. Shoutout to Knights of Sidonia. I understand the ethical issues surrounding the second one.

Kudos on this comment. Had never considered the Bosch process (using hydrogen) for sequestering CO2 into graphite until reading this.
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