CRISPR is such a cool discovery.
I agree, the organ-on-a-chip tech from the end of 2022 has the ability to be even more game changing, which is wild to say! Both projects I’m following quite closely to see how they advance.
First time I hear about this tech… it is like manufactured organs? could it replace human organs, eventually?
First, a small silicon chip is printed with specific patterns. Then, stem cells are introduced and grown in unique environments depending on the desired organ tissue. Down the road, they hope to be able to print organs for patients using their DNA. This will eliminate long wait times for some organs, as well as prevent any chance of organ rejection after transplantion. Right now, this allows labs to stop animal test while simultaneously acquiring exponentially more accurate human data. Also, this will drastically slash the time and cost required to bring a drug to market!!
Cool tip: most “science news” sources are shit. They read a study and just assume it must be solid and has no catches, so a lot of the “advances” you read about will never be heard from again. If you want the straight dope read a journal like nature.com/news or similar.
Nature could not shut up about CRISPR when it was first discovered. It was like, derailed for months with buzz about it and the similar techniques that it inspired.
As a grad student, if it’s not a research paper I tend to ask for the paper they sourced for the info. But look over the very brief synopsis I gave below to see why it’s logical to conclude the organ/human body-on-a-chip could surpass CRISPR. The paper’s straight up mind blowing cover to cover. While CRISPR envokes ethical dilemmas, the chip tech solves many while also providing breakthrough research and treatment options!
I wish I could be edited to be disease resistant.
Technically, you pretty much already are! The human body regularly removes reactive oxygen species from the system. If these were left unchecked, our life span would be MUCH shorter. Also, the cell cycle has numerous players responsible for preventing cancer. In addition, the immune system is a legitimate marvel, especially when it comes to preventing infections & disease. Human sweat, tears, mucus, saliva, and even a Mom’s breast milk all posses antimicrobial aspects. And that’s only the innate or 1st line of the immune system defense. Recently it was even discovered when in the womb, a mother conducts horizontal gene transfer to ensure the offsprings microbiome will take up most the microbial real estate effectively. This prevents pathogens from being able to adhere and grow when introduced into the body 🤯
