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Scientists studying mice have identified a gene which could boost human fertility.
Davos, Switzerland -
It was the talk of Davos, grabbing the imagination of a forum otherwise shrouded in gloom: a miracle machine that cracks the code of life within hours and could revolutionise healthcare.
Patients will no longer have to wait weeks to know if they have cancer and their doctors will know immediately what kind of disease they have, allowing them to target therapies precisely and to avoid harmful delays or mistakes.
Health officials confronted by superbug outbreaks will be able to identify the bug's strain and begin planning treatment within hours rather than days or weeks, potentially saving thousands of lives.
Soon, researchers in the developing world will take portable DNA sequencers into the field to identify new viruses and verify water quality.
And police investigators will be able to develop a suspect's DNA profile as quickly as their fictional counterparts do in glossy television dramas, while commandos on the battlefield will identify the bodies of friend and foe.
The man behind the revolution is Jonathan Rothberg, master biotechnician and CEO of Ion Torrent, owned by US firm Life Technologies, which produces the Ion Proton - the world's first desktop semiconductor-based gene sequencer.
Business and political leaders at this year's Global Economic Forum were gripped by pessimism over the economy, but - at a summit boycotted by Mick Jagger - Rothberg was received in Davos like a rockstar of science.
“He's a genius. I want to buy his machines,” Sami Sagol, a leading Israeli neuroscientist and research sponsor, told passengers on a minibus ferrying delegates through the snowbound streets of the Swiss resort.
“I was sat next to him at dinner. He's amazing,” declared a young investment banker swigging beer in a nearby bar, admitting he had found Davos' scientific programme more uplifting than the headline economic debates.
The man himself, geekily excited in a woolly ski hat and loud striped shirt, bursts with enthusiasm for a machine that has brought the once laborious task of gene-sequencing to the era of the semi-conductor microchip.
With no false modesty, he compares the revolution to the transition from the era of room-sized computing machines to desktop microprocessors, and predicts that his technology will follow the computer into laptop and hand-held forms.
“It's the first machine that can do an entire human genome for less than 1,000 dollars. It's the first machine than can read the genome in two hours,” he told AFP in an interview in Davos.
“Previously machines would cost more than half a million dollars and it would take weeks to get information on your genome,” he said. A genome is the complete DNA code, unique to each individual, which shapes our organism.
“The Proton instrument is designed to do discovery - find new genes that are involved in cancer, find new genes that are involved in autism, find new genes that are involved in diabetes,” he said.
“But it's also designed to be used in a clinical practice to make sure that you give the person the right medicine or the right medicine to the right person. And to help diagnose new born children with ailments.”
The Desktop Ion Proton was making its European debut, but the technology is not a pie in the sky dream. It is based on a larger predecessor that is already the world's best selling sequencer.
“Last year in Germany there was a terrible outbreak and a number of people died,” he said, referring to a enterohaemorrhagic E.coli (EHEC) infection from contaminated food that killed 52 people and left more than 4,000 sick.
“It was the precursor to this machine and one of the first chips we made that decoded that E.coli outbreak and allowed us to understand that superbug, track that superbug and have a diagnostic for that superbug.”
Two factors make the Ion Proton unique. It is the only machine to use a semiconductor chip to sequence genes, previously researchers had to study DNA strands under what were effectively powerful microscopes.
Now, DNA samples can be dropped onto a microchip a couple of centimetres (one inch) across, slotted into the Proton like a SIM card into a mobile, and two hours later the enter six-billion-letter code of life is known.
The second factor is size. The current model squats on a desk like a photocopier and, as a scalable device, it will one day shrink, even to the size of a handheld like the science fiction Star Trek “tricorder”.
“So investigators in Africa have asked me for machines that they can use to monitor wild game that's caught to see if there's any new viruses coming in that can interact with man for the first time,” said Rothberg.
But, while its enthusiastic inventor foresees dozens of tasks for his machine, its inspiration and initial core use will be in healthcare.
“When my son was born, he was rushed to the newborn intensive care unit because he had difficulty breathing,” said Rothberg, recounting the personal trauma that led directly to his breakthrough.
“At that moment I realised that I was less interested in the human genome as an abstract concept and I was completely interested in my son's genome.
“I realised two things: I cared about my son Noah's genome and I needed a technology that scales. And during the time he was intensive care I had the idea to move sequencing to a massively parallel substrate, a chip.”
Noah recovered, his disease was not genetic after all, but once the Ion Proton is common in world hospitals, other parents will have a shorter wait. - Sapa-AFP
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Darth Vader, wrote
Meme man..I have been on a "short" coffee break , but am glad to see you are still 'stirring" the embers of insight and belief to a point that you will always get "sheep" mentality believer's coming at you with fire and brimstone!!...Good on you!!...and I don't always "get" what you are on about, but, I like the "stirring"...keeps one alive..hey!!
Meme-Man, wrote
Hi Russel@10.04am - thank you for the link - I sure will follow that link. Like any youngster in SA in the 70's and 80's, I went through Religious Instruction at school, and my Catholic parents and grandparents educated me to their thoughts.... but I had a built in question-response that didn't fly too well with the rituals.... I read far and wide, and most recently did an Alpha course where we had great debates. I am most appreciative of your ability and willingness to discuss - it is a refreshing change from the mindless dogma I usually encounter from creationists who can do nothing but bleat meaninglessly with no understanding.
Russel, wrote
@Meme-Man - For interest sake you may want to visit some apologetics sites or bible history sites. If nothing else it would give you insight into the Christian "Meme" and the way that the bible is interpreted in the light of the history that led to its formation. E.g. The gospel of John was written to counter the Gnostic heresy that was prevalent at the time hence the reason it has a somewhat different focus than the other three gospels. It could be very interesting to apply your knowledge of Memetic s to the history of the bible. Should you be interested here is a good site to start off with but it is by no means the only one: http:www.catholic.orgencyclopedia
Meme-Man, wrote
Fair enough Russel - I only know what I know... and if there is a 'mystery' deeper than that, then I stand ready to learn.
Russel, wrote
@Meme-Man – Truly your pen name is not lost on me I just tend the think humans are ruled by more basic instincts on many levels and we’re not as mysterious as we’d like to believe sometimes. That’s why the world has quite a few issues. However one of my points w.r.t. the bible and Christianity was that context is key. You need to understand the evolution of the bible and the context and culture in which the books were written to properly understand them. I’m not sure that you understand that context hence the views you express and the reason you fail to understand why Christian teaching doesn’t always reflect what is literally written in the bible. It’s not a question of simply ignoring the bits we don’t like :-)
Meme-Man, wrote
Hi Russel@1.32pm: I don't want to get into Jesus' possible historical existence; suffice is it to say that at least half a dozen prophet & deity stories that PRECISELY mirror the virgin birth, 12 apostles, crucifixion, etc. etc. story pre-date Jesus; look them up (hesus krishna dionysus mithra horus) so you have more choice than one possible historical character if you want to follow someone with those credentials: To summarize your statement: you're saying the bible and religion is valid because: 1) lots of people believe in it, 2) people will die for it, 3) besides the angry stuff, it sets forth some positive instructions for life. I'm saying that, regardless of who wrote it, the origins and motivations of the bible and all it has spawned (e.g. the 3 numbered points above) are easy to trace and understand if you understand the memetics. Memetics are to culture and human thought and mores what DNA is to genetics. When you understand memes, you understand the entire evolution of the human condition in all its myriad guises. Truly - I chose my pen name with this in mind: Look into the topic, it is fascinating.
on_meth, wrote
Great machine and was in the making for a while now. But the fact that he's at the "forum" in Davos says a lot. That's how biotech is these days.
Meme-Man, wrote
Bobster@11.27am - Debate is healthy - I engage in it in the hope I learn something new, or even have my mind completely changed. For my part, no matter how personal others may get, I will not do so... other than occasionally kidding with or prompting someone.
Russel, wrote
@Meme-Man – We are way off the topic of the article but squarely stuck on the topic of your very first comment :-). Unfortunately you haven’t presented any facts but rather a hypothesis as to the origins of the Bible. Unfortunately it is a book you do not understand and hence your hypothesis is quite incorrect and your “facts” way off the mark. Here are some facts: 1. The Bible is a collection of books written over a period of more than 2000 years. 2. Some of those books were written by authors who were rather sophisticated people in their time and not goat herders. 3. The fundamental Christian teaching is to love God and your neighbour as yourself. 4. There is more ancient preserved text pointing to the actual existence of Jesus Christ than to any other figure in history whose existence we take as axiomatic. (Plato, Aristotle. Etc.) 5. Much of Western thinking is based on a Greek ideological frame work that is also more than 2000 years old. 6. The Bible was assembled and Christianity thrived in the face of tremendous persecution (to the point of death) at the hands of the very philosophy that underpins much of Western thinking today and which existed at the time. From the above a few things should be obvious: 1. If people are prepared to consciously choose to die rather than renounce their faith you have no hope at all of preaching any religion let alone Christianity into oblivion or getting its adherents to go quietly into the night. (They also have the same claim to freedom of speech that anyone else does in any event.) 2. Most scientists would not die for a theory but may well be prepared to die for a principle. That leads to the core of the matter; people need meaning in life regardless of what they believe. Faith in God or some other religion is not what will destroy the planet as you assert but rather people’s blind selfishness and greed which the Bible preaches against. People use religion as a pretext to justify pursuing their own agenda. If all religions magically disappeared tomorrow they would simply find something else to justify their behaviour. Thus condemning religion which played a vital part in forming civilization as we know it (where you have the freedom to bash religion and those who believe :-) ) is like saying all modern technology is evil because some people use it to do evil things; completely off the mark. If you really want to rally against the core of humanity’s problems then try and do something about the human conditions of greed and lust for both pleasure and power. These are the heart of the problem and ironically precisely what Christianity tries to address.
FreedFunky, wrote
Science is fact where religion is a fable, a story, a tale that people have taken as a way of life instead of entertainment or a book to learn from like any other history book. Just a little saying thats appropriate in this discussion - Religious wars - "A war where we kill each other to see who has the best imaginary friend" I belive God exists becasue there are things we still cannot explain. Even the big bang cannot be fully explained as to where the first 2 molecules came from but as far as religion and people basing their lives on a book which a common man wrote his stories in is just ridiculous. Amazing how all the religions are so well documented but we know nothing about the Egyptians who were the most powerful advanced race on earth, who invented the written word and enslaved the jews, we know the history of the jews but we have no understanding of how the greatest civilisation disappeared?? The more you look into religion the more you understand why the preachers preach faith becasue at the end of the day its an empty movement bassed on fantasy and inaccuracy.
Bobster, wrote
Mixing religion and science (which are peculiarly confined to the Abrahamic faith in these responses) has never produced a cake worthy of eating and has always laid a foundation for controversy. Anon and Meme-Man I’m sure you two could continue ad-nauseum and still not find any common ground but I fear it has become personal and I for one would not ascribe in continuing the mudslinging.
Meme-Man, wrote
aNON@8.35am - whether deliberately or due to genuine misunderstanding, you constantly "get" what I say wrong. In communicating public domain information that is freely available to anyone, I have neither ego nor any feelings of superiority... the facts are not mine to gloat over - the accolades of their discovery goes to others, and, once published they belong to every rational person who takes the time to absorb them. I fail to see where you find insult or how you consider it "lashing out" when I merely point out the facts of how the the universe actually work. I take no insult if you wish to criticize or lambaste all or any branch of science; if you wish to argue with the facts, it has no emotional effect on me whatsoever. Sadly for you, yes; I do recognize that these facts contradict your fondly held old tale, but that consequence is not of my making; that is simply and indifferently how it is. The facts of physics and evolution are entirely indifferent to human sentiment. And; I have spelled out many times how religion divides people, causes friction and justifies unimaginable cruelties and mass murder; those are extremely pressing reasons for people to consider before they throw their lot in with one or another divisive mindset.
aNON, wrote
mmmmh meme man, you continue along the same egotistical vein. still presenting nothing of fact but regurgitating the opinions of discredited authors. you may carry on 'superimposing' your lack of a belief system, ludicrous interpretation of biblical as you wish and please - that is unfortunately your right. continue to heap insult on the Gods of all people's religions if that makes you feel superior. the anger seeping through your invective betrays maybe you are seeking the Truth in this world. don't give up for it is in your darkest hour when you feel the need to attack and lash out at all and sundry that the Light will shine bright enough to illuminate understanding hitherto a mystery to you. its a great day today, enjoy it!
meme-Man, wrote
8) My motivation for sometimes being forthright about religion is possibly best summed up by Bill Maher when he concluded his "Religulous" documentarly: “(The problem with today’s world is) that we learned how to precipitate mass death before we got past the neurological disorder of wishing for it. (the only two possibilities now) Grow up or die.”
Meme-Man, wrote
4) My point being, that in your sweeping statement you are superimposing your superstitious world view onto people that find superstition absurd - and it demeans these scientists that, posthumously, those who are superstitious will run around claiming deathbed conversion to a notional belief. 5) If god is love, then, you must agree, he must also be schizophrenic - because he spends the entire old testament murdering and jealously taking sides hither and thither. 6) Why (and how could) you possibly take insult at my astonishment that you could believe in what you believe? If your belief is so strong, what possible ridicule could you feel at my hands? Unless, of course, you are wavering in belief and concede that my points are valid.
Meme-Man, wrote
2) You can console yourself with the lie that 'scientists' “relent” on their death-bed and cleave to a god... This is of course as much tripe and propaganda as if I said the Pope will finally accept on his deathbed that he'd lived out a silly notional life of devotion to nothing. “God” is what the Pope has spent his life chasing, and he absolutely won't relent; likewise, “facts” are what scientists pursue, and they are therefore extremely unlikely to turn away from those facts at the last moment. It's a silly thought to presume otherwise. 3) Besides, which god should these supposed scientists turn to? Zeus? Apollo? Ra?
Meme-Man, wrote
aNON@02.22pm - 1) You say I failed to “present facts”... on the contrary - re-read what I wrote; I framed the fact I was presenting: “Let's cut straight to the facts: Our ancestors were too simple to understand anything more than those under their goat-herding noses”... the fact is the writers of the bible wrote a local desert soap opera of fear and dread and mass mind control containing no real substance. Period. Case closed.
aNON, wrote
ET1...it is always inevitable that the non-believers will resort to attempts at discrediting the beliefs of other people in the knowledge that they believe in nothing. meme-man has not presented facts even though he wishes to..'cut straight to the facts'...many eminent scientists have at the end of their lives acknowledged the presence of a 'superior' force, being or whatever it may be called. some call it God and recall His being in a book called the bible. dawkins will in time answer his own questions as he breathes his last breath. should man have 'made' god in his image of ego, anger, imperfection imagine the destruction the god would breathe on us every minute if the day - nothing in the new testament gives credence to this as in plain language it is stated that God is Love. to be instructed to practice your beliefs 'privately' is no less than an acknowledgement or expression of ones self importance and intolerance - this ejaculation is what the ultimate destruction of the world is spawned from. the mayan calendar supposedly predicts the end of the world Dec 2012 conspiracy - who knows? but it is more likely those those who have nothing to believe in are looking for some belief. as meme-man states - this is well off the topic but debate is not a place for insulting peoples' belief in a God, no matter what religion. meaning to your own life will not be strengthened by attempting to rubbish with demeaning comment another persons beliefs.
Bonzo, wrote
What is this religious hectic here? On one hand fundamentalists all say we must rebuke astrology and other old medieval practices, telling us that they are unscientific; then these same fundamentalists bang on about the horrors of science trying to emulate the divine. Every generation gets it in the neck, I guess. And the sublime Divine gets on with being sublime and gracious to our petty selves.
ET1, wrote
Don't know why it almost always turns out into a religious debate when there are new scientific developments. Sure, science can sometimes border on or even cross moral boundaries, but as a Christian my faith has generally been strengthened by science. The more scientists figure out how much structure there is in the universe and how things work, the harder it gets to believe that everything just randomly fell into place. Scientific breakthroughs such as this should be embraced, as these people have received talents that cannot be ignored, so people must stop complaining when these talents are put to good use.
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