CRISPR's Next Advance Is Bigger Than You Think | Jennifer Doudna | TED

翻译人员: psjmz mz 校对人员: suya f.

The essence of being human is that we solve problems.

人类的本质是解决问题。

And when we're faced with enormous problems

当我们面对像疾病和气候变化

like disease and climate change,

这样的很多问题时，

we need to solve them by collaboration.

我们需要通过合作来解决问题。

I'm excited to tell you about a new kind of collaboration

我很兴奋地告诉你们一种新的合作

that will absolutely create solutions to these big problems.

将绝对可以为这些 重大问题提供解决方案。

It's a collaboration that's unexpected

这是一种意想不到的合作

because it's between humans

因为它位于人类

and the tiniest organisms that populate our planet:

和我们星球上的最微小的生物：

the bacteria and other microbes that live in, on and around us.

细菌和其他生活在我们周围的微生物。

Bacteria may be small and unseen,

细菌可能很小看不见，

but they often have inspired transformative innovations,

但它们往往激发了革命性的创新，

including the one that has become the cornerstone of my own research.

包括我自己研究的基石。

Over the past decade, I've been at the forefront

过去几十年，我一直处于

of developing a revolutionary technology called CRISPR

开发CRISPR这种 革命性技术的前线，

that has come from the study of how bacteria fight viral infection.

该技术来自细菌如何 对抗病毒感染的研究。

CRISPR is amazing because it allows us

CRISPR的神奇之处 在于它可以让我们

to precisely edit the DNA in living organisms,

在包括人类和植物的生物体中

including in people and plants.

精确编辑DNA。

With CRISPR, we can change, remove or replace the genes

凭借CRISPR，

我们可以改变、移除或替代

that govern the function of cells.

控制细胞功能的基因。

This means that we now have the ability to use CRISPR like a word processor

这意味着我们现在拥有了像 文字处理器那样去使用 CRISPR

to find, cut and paste text.

查找、剪切和粘贴文本的能力。

CRISPR, amazingly, has already cured people of devastating disorders

CRISPR，令人惊叹的是， 已经治愈了像镰状细胞病

like sickle cell disease,

那样严重的疾病

and it's created rice plants

并且它创造出来的水稻

that are resistant to both diseases and drought.

既能抗病又能抗旱。

Incredible, right?

难以置信，对吧?

But the next world-changing advance with CRISPR

但下一次 CRISPR 改变世界的进步

will actually come from using it in a way

将来自它的一种使用方法

that will allow us to go to the next level

这将会让我们进入

by editing genes beyond just in individual organisms.

超越编辑个体生物基因的下一个水平。

We now have the ability to use CRISPR

我们现在拥有能力 可以使用 CRISPR

to edit entire populations of tiny microbes,

去编辑整个微生物种群，

called microbiomes,

即生活在我们体内和身体上

that live in and on our bodies.

的微生物组。

For decades, scientists studied bacteria one organism at a time,

几十年来，科学家一次只研究一个细菌，

as if each type of bacteria behaved independently.

就好像每个细菌行为独立似的。

But we now know that bacterial behaviors,

但我们现在知道细菌行为，

both good and bad,

不管好还是坏，

result from their interactions within complex microbiomes.

是它们在复杂微生物群中 相互作用的结果。

In humans, dysfunctional gut microbiomes

在人类中，功能失调 的肠道微生物组

are associated with diseases as diverse as Alzheimer's and asthma.

与阿尔茨海默病和 哮喘等多种疾病有关。

And in farm animals, microbiomes produce methane,

在农场动物中， 微生物群产生的甲烷，

a powerful contributor to climate change.

是造成气候变化的重要因素。

But when they're healthy,

但当它们健康时，

both human and animal microbiomes can actually prevent disease

人类和微生物组可以预防疾病

and reduce methane emissions.

和减少甲烷排放。

So to harness these benefits,

所以要获得这些好处，

we need a way to precisely and reproducibly control

我们需要一种精确和可重复控制

these microbial communities.

这些微生物群落的方法。

So why have microbiomes been difficult to control in the past?

那么为什么微生物群过去那么难控制？

It turns out that microbiomes are very complex,

原来是因为微生物群非常复杂，

and they're difficult to manipulate.

并且它们很难被操控。

Antibiotics affect the entire microbiome

抗生素影响了整个微生物群

and their overuse can lead to drug resistance.

并且它们的过度使用导致了抗药性。

Diet and probiotics are nonspecific

饮食和益生菌是非特异性的，

and they're often ineffective.

它们通常是无效的。

Fecal transplants face various challenges to both effectiveness and acceptance.

粪便移植在有效性和接受度 方面面临各种挑战。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But with CRISPR, we have a tool that works like a scalpel.

但有了CRISPR，我们有了 像外科手术刀那样的工具。

It allows us to target a particular gene in a particular kind of cell.

它使我们能够瞄准特定类型 细胞中的特定基因。

With CRISPR, we can change one kind of bacterium

有了CRISPR， 我们可以改变某一种细菌

without affecting all the others.

而不影响其他。

Another challenge is that less than one percent of the world’s microbial species

另一个挑战是世界上 不到1%的微生物种群

have been grown and studied in the lab.

在实验室生长和被研究过。

Fortunately, we can now access the other 99 percent

幸运的是，我们现在 可以接触另外 99%

due to the pioneering research of my colleague, Jill Banfield,

这归于我的同事 吉尔·班菲尔德（Jill Banfield）

的开创性的研究

and her breakthrough technology,

和她突破性的技术，

metagenomics,

宏基因组学，

which is a tool that allows us to figure out

这一种工具让我们可以搞清楚

what species are present

微生物群落中

and what they're doing in a microbial community.

存在哪些物种以及它们在做什么。

Metagenomics creates a detailed blueprint of a complex microbiome,

宏基因组学构建了一个 复杂微生物组的详细蓝图，

and that means that we can use it

这意味着我们可以使用它

to figure out how to use gene editing tools

去搞清楚如何在对的基因，对的生物体中

in the right gene, in the right organism.

使用基因编辑工具。

You might be wondering how we can take this new knowledge

你可能好奇我们如何使用这些新知识

and harness it to solve real world problems.

运用于解决现实世界的问题。

Well, we're bringing together these two breakthrough technologies,

我们是将宏基因组学和CRISPR

metagenomics and CRISPR,

这两种突破性的技术结合在一起

to create a brand new field of science called precision microbiome editing.

去创建这个被称为精确微生物组 编辑的全新科学领域。

This will allow us to discover links between dysfunctional microbiomes

这将使我们能够发现功能失调的微生物群

and disease or greenhouse gas emissions.

和疾病或者温室气体排放的联系。

We can develop modified and improved microbiome editors

我们可以开发修改和改进微生物编辑器

and show that they're safe and effective.

并证明它们是安全有效的。

And we can then begin to deploy these optimized solutions

然后我们就可以开始部署 这些改进后的解决方案

to create the kinds of solutions that will be transformative in the future.

去创造出在未来具有革命性的解决方案。

So how does this affect our health and the health of our planet?

那么这会如何影响我们的健康 和我们地球的健康？

We know the poorest countries and people are the most affected by climate change,

我们知道最贫穷的国家和人们 被气候变化影响最大，

and it's a problem created by the wealthiest people.

并且这个问题是最富裕的国家造成的。

And methane is a big part of the problem.

甲烷是主要的问题。

It's been a major contributor to rising global temperatures

从前工业时代开始， 它就是全球气温升高的

since preindustrial times.

主要因素。

Specific microbiome compositions in livestock

牲畜中特定微生物组的组成

can actually reduce methane emissions by up to 80 percent.

其实可以减少甲烷排放高达 80% 。

But doing that today currently requires daily interventions at enormous expense,

但现在的做法要求每天干预，成本巨大，

and it just doesn't scale.

并且无法规模化。

But with precision microbiome editing,

但通过精准微生物组编辑，

we have an opportunity to modify a calf's microbiome at birth,

我们有机会改变小牛出生时的微生物群，

limiting that animal's impact on the climate for its entire lifetime.

在动物的整个生命周期中 限制其对气候的影响。

And this is beneficial for farmers

这对农民也有益，

because reduced methane production

因为减少甲烷排放

means more efficient conversion of feed into food.

意味着更有效地将饲料转化为食物。

Importantly, these tools can be used in the future

重要的是，这些工具未来可以用于

to reduce methane emissions from other sources,

减少其他地方的甲烷排放，

like landfills, wastewater and rice paddies.

比如垃圾填埋场、废水和稻田。

Ultimately, microbiomes generate

最重要地，微生物群产生了

up to two-thirds of all of the methane emissions globally.

全球三分之二的甲烷排放量。

So our technology could really move the needle

因此，我们的技术可以真正推动

in our fight against climate change.

我们与气候变化的斗争。

In human health,

在人类健康领域，

asthma affects up to 300 million people around the world,

全世界有多达 3 亿人患有哮喘，

a number that grows by 50 percent each decade,

这个数字每十年增长 50% ，

and it disproportionately affects lower-income children.

并且不成比例地影响低收入儿童。

Our team has identified a promising link

我们团队已经识别出了

between a molecule produced in the gut microbiome

肠道微生物群中产生的分子与哮喘

and asthma development.

发展之间的关系。

With precision microbiome editing,

通过精确微生物组编辑，

we could offer a child at risk for asthma a noninvasive therapy

我们可以为有患哮喘风险 的孩子提供无创治疗

that would eliminate asthma-inducing molecules,

去消除诱发哮喘的分子，

changing her life trajectory.

改变她的人生轨迹。

And what's really exciting

真正让人兴奋的是

is that these same approaches in the future could help us treat

这些同样的方法未来可以帮助我们

or even prevent human diseases

治疗或者预防人类

that are linked to the gut microbiome,

与肠道微生物群有关的疾病，

including obesity, diabetes and Alzheimer's.

包括肥胖、糖尿病和老年痴呆症。

I think it’s fascinating that we can now use CRISPR

我想更让人着迷的是我们 现在可以使用 CRISPR

to edit the same tiny organisms that gave us CRISPR.

去编辑给予我们 CRISPR 的同种微生物体。

In doing so, we’re collaborating with the ultimate partner: nature.

通过这样做，我们 和终极的伙伴：自然合作。

Together, we can use CRISPR-powered precision microbiome editing

我们一起，可以使用基于 CRISPR 的精准微生物组编辑

to build a more resilient future for all of us.

去为我们所有人构建更有韧性的未来。

Thank you very much.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）