The era of personal DNA testing is here | Sebastian Kraves

譯者: Conway Ye 審譯者: Wen-Kuang Liu

Imagine that you're a pig farmer.

想像一下你是一個養豬人，

You live on a small farm in the Philippines.

你住在菲律賓的一個小農場。

Your animals are your family's sole source of income --

你的動物是你家庭的唯一收入來源，

as long as they're healthy.

牠們一定得保持健康。

You know that any day,

你知道總會有一天，

one of your pigs can catch the flu,

其中一隻豬會得禽流感，

the swine flu.

豬流感。

Living in tight quarters, one pig coughing and sneezing

牠們住在狹小的住所裡， 一隻豬咳嗽和打噴嚏，

may soon lead to the next pig coughing and sneezing,

遲早會造成下一隻豬咳嗽和打噴嚏，

until an outbreak of swine flu has taken over your farm.

直達豬流感爆發，佔領農場。

If it's a bad enough virus,

如果是一個很嚴重的病毒，

the health of your herd may be gone in the blink of an eye.

你豬群的健康可能 就在眨眼間灰飛煙滅。

If you called in a veterinarian,

如果你聯繫一個獸醫，

he or she would visit your farm and take samples

他或她可能會造訪你的農場，

並從豬的鼻子和口腔中採集樣本，

from your pigs' noses and mouths.

But then they would have to drive back into the city

但是接下來，他們需要開車回城市，

to test those samples in their central lab.

在他們的大型實驗室中測試樣本，

Two weeks later, you'd hear back the results.

兩週後，你會得到結果，

Two weeks may be just enough time for infection to spread

兩周時間可能足夠疾病傳染，

and take away your way of life.

並奪走你賴以為生的東西。

But it doesn't have to be that way.

但是事情並不一定會發展成那樣，

Today, farmers can take those samples themselves.

現在，農場主可以自己採集樣本，

They can jump right into the pen and swab their pigs' noses and mouths

他們可以直接進入豬圈 用一張小濾紙擦豬的鼻子和口腔，

with a little filter paper,

place that little filter paper in a tiny tube,

把濾紙放在一個試管內，

and mix it with some chemicals that will extract genetic material

並加入一些能夠從鼻子及口腔 提取基因的化學材料，

from their pigs' noses and mouths.

And without leaving their farms,

並且不需要離開農場，

they take a drop of that genetic material

取一滴基因材料，

and put it into a little analyzer smaller than a shoebox,

放入一個比鞋盒還小的分析器內，

program it to detect DNA or RNA from the swine flu virus,

設置並探測豬流感病毒內的 DNA 和 RNA，

and within one hour get back the results, visualize the results.

一小時之內就可取得結果， 可視化的結果。

This reality is possible

這一切是可能的，

because today we're living in the era of personal DNA technology.

因為我們活在一個 個人 DNA 技術的時代。

Every one of us can actually test DNA ourselves.

每一個人都可以檢測自己的 DNA。

DNA is the fundamental molecule the carries genetic instructions

DNA 是攜帶 遺傳信息結構的基本分子，

that help build the living world.

它幫助我們建造 這個生機勃勃的世界。

Humans have DNA.

人類有 DNA。

Pigs have DNA.

豬有 DNA。

Even bacteria and some viruses have DNA too.

甚至細菌和一些病毒都有 DNA。

The genetic instructions encoded in DNA inform how our bodies develop,

DNA 攜帶的遺傳信息結構告訴我們 我們會怎樣進化、成長、運作。

grow, function.

And in many cases, that same information can trigger disease.

在很多情況下， 一樣的遺傳信息會造成疾病。

Your genetic information

你的基因信息

is strung into a long and twisted molecule, the DNA double helix,

被串在一個長條的旋轉分子中， DNA 雙螺旋結構。

that has over three billion letters,

從頭到尾，有超過 30 億個字母。

beginning to end.

But the lines that carry meaningful information

但是攜帶有意義信息的片段

are usually very short --

通常其實很短——

a few dozen to several thousand letters long.

幾十到幾千個字母那麼長。

So when we're looking to answer a question based on DNA,

所以當我們需要根據 DNA 來解決一個問題的時候，

we actually don't need to read

我們並不需要閱讀

all those three billion letters, typically.

所有 30 億個字母。

That would be like getting hungry at night

這就像是在晚上感覺到飢餓，

and having to flip through the whole phone book

要翻遍整本電話簿，

from cover to cover,

從頭到尾，

pausing at every line,

查看每一行，

just to find the nearest pizza joint.

只為了找到最近的披薩店。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Luckily, three decades ago,

幸運的是，三十年前，

humans started to invent tools

人類開始研究能夠追蹤 特定遺傳信息片段的工具，

that can find any specific line of genetic information.

These DNA machines are wonderful.

這些 DNA 機器棒極了。

They can find any line in DNA.

它們可以找到任何 DNA 的片段。

But once they find it,

但是一旦找到了片段，

that DNA is still tiny, and surrounded by so much other DNA,

微小的 DNA 依舊被無數 其他 DNA 環繞著，

that what these machines then do is copy the target gene,

及其接下來做的， 就是複製目標基因片段，

and one copy piles on top of another,

一段複製基因 堆在另一段複製基因上，

millions and millions and millions of copies,

它會複製上百萬份基因，

until that gene stands out against the rest;

直到目標基因從中脫穎而出，

until we can visualize it,

直到我們能夠把它可視化，

interpret it, read it, understand it,

能夠翻譯它、讀取它、理解它，

until we can answer:

直到我們能夠回答，

Does my pig have the flu?

我的豬得流感了嗎？

Or other questions buried in our own DNA:

或者其他埋藏在我們基因裡的問題，

Am I at risk of cancer?

我有患癌風險嗎？

Am I of Irish descent?

我有愛爾蘭血統嗎?

Is that child my son?

那是我的兒子嗎？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

This ability to make copies of DNA, as simple as it sounds,

這種複製基因能力 就和它聽起來一樣簡單，

has transformed our world.

這已經改變了我們的世界。

Scientists use it every day to detect and address disease,

科學家每天都在使用這個技術， 發現並解決疾病，

to create innovative medicines,

研發創新藥物，

to modify foods,

改變食物，

to assess whether our food is safe to eat

評估我們的食物是否安全，

or whether it's contaminated with deadly bacteria.

或者是否被致命細菌污染，

Even judges use the output of these machines in court

甚至法官都會在法庭上使用 這些機器的測驗結果，

to decide whether someone is innocent or guilty based on DNA evidence.

根據 DNA 證物， 來判斷誰是清白或有罪的。

The inventor of this DNA-copying technique

基因複製技術的發明者

was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1993.

1993 年獲得了化學諾貝爾獎。

But for 30 years,

但是 30 年裡，

the power of genetic analysis has been confined to the ivory tower,

基因分析的能力 一直被限制在象牙塔內，

or bigwig PhD scientist work.

只被有能力的博士科學家所用。

Well, several companies around the world

但是，世界上的一些公司，

are working on making this same technology accessible

正在研究如何讓這些技術

普及到像養豬人一樣的普通民眾中，

to everyday people like the pig farmer,

like you.

比如說你們。

I cofounded one of these companies.

我和別人成立了其中一家公司，

Three years ago,

三年前，

together with a fellow biologist and friend of mine,

我和一個生物學家也是我的朋友，

Zeke Alvarez Saavedra,

齊克·阿爾瓦雷斯·薩維德拉，

we decided to make personal DNA machines

我們決定研究每個人都可以 使用的個人基因機器，

that anyone could use.

Our goal was to bring DNA science to more people in new places.

我們的目標是把個人基因技術 帶給更多人和地方。

We started working in our basements.

我們在地下室裡開始工作。

We had a simple question:

我們有一個很簡單的問題：

What could the world look like

如果每個人都能夠分析基因，

if everyone could analyze DNA?

這個世界會變成什麼樣？

We were curious,

我們很好奇，

as curious as you would have been if I had shown you this picture in 1980.

就跟我在 1980 給你們看 這張照片一樣，

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

You would have thought, "Wow!

你會想：「哇，

I can now call my Aunt Glenda from the car

我現在可以從車上 打電話給格蘭達姑姑了，

and wish her a happy birthday.

並祝她生日快樂。

I can call anyone, anytime.

我可以隨時給任何人打電話，

This is the future!"

這就是未來！」

Little did you know,

你們不知道的是，

you would tap on that phone to make dinner reservations

你可以點擊手機預定晚餐位置，

for you and Aunt Glenda to celebrate together.

讓你和格蘭達姑姑能夠一起慶祝。

With another tap, you'd be ordering her gift.

再點擊一下，你就能訂購禮物送她。

And yet one more tap,

再點擊一下，

and you'd be "liking" Auntie Glenda on Facebook.

你就能在格蘭達姑姑的臉書上點讚。

And all of this, while sitting on the toilet.

這一切，都可以坐在馬桶上完成。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It is notoriously hard to predict where new technology might take us.

預測未來科技的發展方向 是出了名的難，

And the same is true for personal DNA technology today.

現在的個人基因技術也是一樣。

For example, I could never have imagined

比如說，我從來不會想到

that a truffle farmer, of all people,

一個普普通通的松露養殖者，

would use personal DNA machines.

能夠使用個人基因機器。

Dr. Paul Thomas grows truffles for a living.

保羅托馬斯博士以種植松露維生。

We see him pictured here,

我們看他的照片，

holding the first UK-cultivated truffle in his hands, on one of his farms.

手上抓著他農場種植的 第一個英國產的松露，

Truffles are this delicacy

松露是這麼美味，

that stems from a fungus growing on the roots of living trees.

因為它是生長在樹上的真菌，

And it's a rare fungus.

而且還是稀有真菌。

Some species may fetch 3,000, 7,000, or more dollars per kilogram.

一些品種能夠到每公斤三千、 七千，甚至更多美金，

I learned from Paul

我從保羅那裡學到，

that the stakes for a truffle farmer can be really high.

當一個松露農的賭注是很高的，

When he sources new truffles to grow on his farms,

當他在農場中種植新的松露的時候，

he's exposed to the threat of knockoffs --

他有可能會面臨山寨貨——

truffles that look and feel like the real thing,

看起來和摸起來像是松露。

but they're of lower quality.

但是它們的品質都很低，

But even to a trained eye like Paul's,

但是像保羅這樣訓練過的眼睛，

even when looked at under a microscope,

即使把它放在顯微鏡下觀察，

these truffles can pass for authentic.

它們也有可能矇混過關，

So in order to grow the highest quality truffles,

所以為了種植最高品質的松露，

the ones that chefs all over the world will fight over,

那種世界上的廚師會為之爭奪的，

Paul has to use DNA analysis.

保羅需要用基因分析技術，

Isn't that mind-blowing?

這不令人興奮嗎？

I bet you will never look at that black truffle risotto again

我打賭下一次你看著一盤 黑松露燉飯的時候，

without thinking of its genes.

一定會思考它的基因。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But personal DNA machines can also save human lives.

但是個人基因技術 還可以拯救人類生命。

Professor Ian Goodfellow is a virologist at the University of Cambridge.

伊恩·古德費洛教授 是劍橋大學的病毒學家，

Last year he traveled to Sierra Leone.

去年，他去了塞拉利昂，

When the Ebola outbreak broke out in Western Africa,

去年當伊波拉病毒 在非洲西部爆發的時候，

he quickly realized that doctors there lacked the basic tools

他迅速的意識到那裡的醫生缺少 基礎探測和抵禦病毒的工具。

to detect and combat disease.

Results could take up to a week to come back --

探測結果可能 要花一周時間才會得到，

that's way too long for the patients and the families who are suffering.

這對於經受痛苦的 病人和家人來說太久了，

Ian decided to move his lab into Makeni, Sierra Leone.

伊恩決定把他的實驗室搬到 塞拉利昂的馬克尼，

Here we see Ian Goodfellow

我們可以看到伊恩·古德費洛

moving over 10 tons of equipment into a pop-up tent

搬運超過十噸重的設備 到一個帳篷裡，

that he would equip to detect and diagnose the virus

他能夠在 24 小時內組裝 並開始探測和診斷病毒

and sequence it within 24 hours.

及其基因序列。

But here's a surprise:

但是，令人驚訝的是，

the same equipment that Ian could use at his lab in the UK

伊恩在他英國的實驗室 能夠使用這樣的設備，

to sequence and diagnose Ebola,

用來排序和診斷伊波拉基因，

just wouldn't work under these conditions.

在這個條件下卻無法工作，

We're talking 35 Celsius heat and over 90 percent humidity here.

我說的可是 35 度的高溫 和 91% 的濕度。

But instead, Ian could use personal DNA machines

但是，伊恩可以使用個人基因機器，

small enough to be placed in front of the air-conditioning unit

小到能夠放置在空調前面，

to keep sequencing the virus

繼續排列病毒基因，

and keep saving lives.

繼續拯救生命。

This may seem like an extreme place for DNA analysis,

這可能看起來對於分析基因是 一個很極端的環境，

but let's move on to an even more extreme environment:

但是讓我們想想更極端的環境：

outer space.

外太空。

Let's talk about DNA analysis in space.

讓我們來談談在外太空的基因分析。

When astronauts live aboard the International Space Station,

當太空人住在國際太空站的時候，

they're orbiting the planet 250 miles high.

他們正在四百公里外的高空，

They're traveling at 17,000 miles per hour.

以每小時二萬七千公里的 速度環繞地球。

Picture that --

想像一下，

you're seeing 15 sunsets and sunrises every day.

每天，你還看見 15 次日出和日落，

You're also living in microgravity,

而且你住在微重力下，

floating.

漂浮著。

And under these conditions, our bodies can do funky things.

在這些情況下，我們的身體 會做一些奇怪的反應，

One of these things is that our immune systems get suppressed,

其中的一件就是 我們的免疫系統會被抑制，

making astronauts more prone to infection.

讓太空人更容易被感染。

A 16-year-old girl,

一個 16 歲的女孩，

a high school student from New York, Anna-Sophia Boguraev,

一個來自紐約的高中生， 安娜索菲亞．博古拉，

wondered whether changes to the DNA of astronauts

她想知道太空人基因的變化

could be related to this immune suppression,

是否和免疫系統的抑制有關，

and through a science competition called "Genes In Space,"

通過一個叫做「太空基因」的比賽，

Anna-Sophia designed an experiment to test this hypothesis

安娜索菲亞設計了一個實驗 來檢驗這一個假說，

using a personal DNA machine aboard the International Space Station.

使用一個登上國際太空站的 個人基因機器。

Here we see Anna-Sophia on April 8, 2016, in Cape Canaveral,

我們看到 2016 年 8 月 8 號， 安娜索菲亞在卡納維爾角，

watching her experiment launch to the International Space Station.

看著她的實驗被送上國際太空間站，

That cloud of smoke is the rocket

那朵雲是火箭產生的煙霧，

that brought Anna-Sophia's experiment to the International Space Station,

那個火箭帶著安娜索菲亞的 實驗飛往國際太空站，

where, three days later,

在那裡，三天後，

astronaut Tim Peake carried out her experiment --

太空人蒂姆·皮克 在微重力下進行了實驗，

in microgravity.

Personal DNA machines are now aboard the International Space Station,

國際太空站現在有了個人基因機器，

where they can help monitor living conditions

它能幫助監控生活環境，

and protect the lives of astronauts.

並保護太空人生命。

A 16-year-old designing a DNA experiment

一個 16 歲的女孩設計了 一個基因試驗，

to protect the lives of astronauts

以保護太空人的生命，

may seem like a rarity, the mark of a child genius.

這似乎很少見， 但也表現了孩子的才智。

Well, to me, it signals something bigger:

然而對於我來說， 這代表著更重要的東西，

that DNA technology is finally within the reach of every one of you.

基因技術終於普及到每個人了。

A few years ago,

幾年前，

a college student armed with a personal computer

一個擁有個人電腦的大學生，

could code an app,

他編寫了一個程式，

an app that is now a social network with more than one billion users.

一個現在擁有超過 十億用戶的社交網絡。

Could we be moving into a world

我們能夠進入一個

of one personal DNA machine in every home?

每個家庭都有一台 個人基因機器的世界嗎？

I know families who are already living in this reality.

我知道一些已經實現這個的家庭，

The Daniels family, for example,

比如說，丹尼爾的家庭，

set up a DNA lab in the basement of their suburban Chicago home.

在他們芝加哥城郊家裡的地下室裡 建立了一個基因實驗室，

This is not a family made of PhD scientists.

這不是一個擁有博士科學家的家庭，

This is a family like any other.

這是一個普通的家庭。

They just like to spend time together doing fun, creative things.

他們只是喜歡花時間一起做一些 有趣和有創造力的事情。

By day, Brian is an executive at a private equity firm.

白天，布萊恩是一家 私人企業的執行長，

At night and on weekends, he experiments with DNA

晚上和週末， 他和他七歲和九歲的孩子，

alongside his kids, ages seven and nine,

進行基因實驗，

as a way to explore the living world.

當成一個探索世界的方式。

Last time I called them,

上一次我給他們打電話的時候，

they were checking out homegrown produce from the backyard garden.

他們正在檢驗家裡後院種植的產品。

They were testing tomatoes that they had picked,

他們正在檢測他們挑選的番茄，

taking the flesh of their skin, putting it in a test tube,

挑出番茄的外表皮和肉， 放在檢測管裡，

mixing it with chemicals to extract DNA

和化學材料混合抽取基因，

and then using their home DNA copier

然後用他們家裡的基因複製器，

to test those tomatoes for genetically engineered traits.

檢測那些蕃茄是否有基改的跡象。

For the Daniels family,

對於丹尼爾的家庭來說，

the personal DNA machine is like the chemistry set

個人基因機器就像是 21 世紀的化學套裝，

for the 21st century.

Most of us may not yet be diagnosing genetic conditions

我們中的大多數人都沒有辦法 檢測廚房水槽內的基因。

in our kitchen sinks

or doing at-home paternity testing.

或者在家裡做親子鑑定。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But we've definitely reached a point in history

但是我們已經到達了歷史的轉折點，

where every one of you could actually get hands-on with DNA

你們每一個人 都可以在廚房裡接觸基因。

in your kitchen.

You could copy, paste and analyze DNA

你們可以複製、合成和分析基因

and extract meaningful information from it.

並從中取出有用的信息，

And it's at times like this that profound transformation

這些重大的改變

is bound to happen;

是時候要發生了。

moments when a transformative, powerful technology

這個顛覆性的技術

that was before limited to a select few in the ivory tower,

之前被選擇性的錮在象牙塔內，

finally becomes within the reach of every one of us,

終於能夠普及到每一個人，

from farmers to schoolchildren.

從農場主到學生。

Think about the moment

想像一下，

when phones stopped being plugged into the wall by cords,

當電話不再需要被插在牆上充電，

or when computers left the mainframe

或者電腦不需要主機，

and entered your home or your office.

而且可以安置在家裡或辦公室。

The ripples of the personal DNA revolution

個人基因革命

may be hard to predict,

可能很難預測，

but one thing is certain:

但是有一件事情是肯定的：

revolutions don't go backwards,

革命不會倒退，

and DNA technology is already spreading faster than our imagination.

基因技術的傳播 已經比我們想像的要快。

So if you're curious,

所以如果你感到好奇，

get up close and personal with DNA -- today.

現在就仔細的看看個人基因技術。

It is in our DNA to be curious.

好奇，是存在我們基因中的。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）