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

譯者: 穎君 紀 審譯者: Shelley Tsang 曾雯海

The essence of being human is that we solve problems.

人之所以為人， 是因為我們會解決問題。

And when we're faced with enormous problems

當我們面臨巨大的難關，

like disease and climate change,

如疾病和氣候變遷，

we need to solve them by collaboration.

就必須攜手合作，一同解決問題。

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

我很期待要跟各位分享一種新合作型態，

that will absolutely create solutions to these big problems.

它一定會找到這些大問題的解方。

It's a collaboration that's unexpected

這合作型態在我們的意料之外，

because it's between humans

因為它包含了人類，

and the tiniest organisms that populate our planet:

和地球上最小的有機物：

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

我們生活環境周遭的細菌和微生物。

Bacteria may be small and unseen,

細菌雖然小到肉眼看不到，

but they often have inspired transformative innovations,

但它們常激盪出科學上劃時代的創新，

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

我的研究基礎也來自細菌。

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

過去十年以來，我都站在開發前線，

of developing a revolutionary technology called CRISPR

研發一種嶄新的技術，名叫 CRISPR ，

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

它源自細菌如何抵抗病毒的研究。

CRISPR is amazing because it allows us

CRISPR 很厲害，它讓我們能夠

to precisely edit the DNA in living organisms,

精準地編輯活體內的 DNA ，

including in people and plants.

包括人體和植物。

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

有了 CRISPR ，就能移除或替換

that govern the function of cells.

主導細胞運作的基因。

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

現在我們的技術已經能像 用文書處理軟體尋找、剪貼文字一般，

to find, cut and paste text.

精準地尋找、剪貼基因了。

CRISPR, amazingly, has already cured people of devastating disorders

CRISPR 已治癒許多難病纏身的患者，

like sickle cell disease,

如鐮刀型貧血，

and it's created rice plants

還打造出稻米的新品種，

that are resistant to both diseases and drought.

對疾病免疫，也不怕乾旱。

Incredible, right?

很驚人吧？

But the next world-changing advance with CRISPR

但下一項 CRISPR 的突破

will actually come from using it in a way

源自能夠讓我們

that will allow us to go to the next level

更上一層樓的技術，

by editing genes beyond just in individual organisms.

能編輯不只單一個有機物的基因。

We now have the ability to use CRISPR

現在我們有足夠能力用 CRISPR

to edit entire populations of tiny microbes,

來編輯整群微生物，

called microbiomes,

也就是微生物群落，

that live in and on our bodies.

在我們體內的那些微生物群落。

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

科學家幾十年來研究細菌的方式 都是一種一種分別研究，

as if each type of bacteria behaved independently.

好像每種細菌都以不同方式運作，

But we now know that bacterial behaviors,

但現在我們知道細菌的行為，

both good and bad,

不論好壞，

result from their interactions within complex microbiomes.

都是來自各個微生物群落間 複雜的相互作用。

In humans, dysfunctional gut microbiomes

人體腸胃裡不正常運作的微生物群落會

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

引起多樣的病症，如阿茲海默症和氣喘。

And in farm animals, microbiomes produce methane,

養殖動物方面，微生物群落製造甲烷，

a powerful contributor to climate change.

也就是氣候變遷的元兇。

But when they're healthy,

不論人或動物，只要身體健康，

both human and animal microbiomes can actually prevent disease

體內的微生物群落其實都能預防疾病、

and reduce methane emissions.

減少甲烷排放。

So to harness these benefits,

為完整發揮這功效，

we need a way to precisely and reproducibly control

我們需要一種精準且可再現的方法

來控制微生物群落。

these microbial communities.

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

那為什麼微生物群落至今都這麼難控制呢？

It turns out that microbiomes are very complex,

原來是因為微生物群落非常錯綜複雜，

and they're difficult to manipulate.

很難操縱。

Antibiotics affect the entire microbiome

抗生素會波及到整個微生物群落，

and their overuse can lead to drug resistance.

濫用抗生素又可能產生抗藥性。

Diet and probiotics are nonspecific

飲食和益生菌帶來的影響非常籠統，

and they're often ineffective.

且大多時候並沒有顯著效用。

Fecal transplants face various challenges to both effectiveness and acceptance.

糞菌移植則是在有效度和 患者接受度面臨重重難關。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

但現在 CRISPR 成為我們 手上類似手術刀的工具，

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

讓我們能精準找出 特定細胞裡的特定基因。

With CRISPR, we can change one kind of bacterium

有了 CRISPR ，我們就能 編輯單一種細菌，

without affecting all the others.

且不會波及到其他種。

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

另一項挑戰是，全世界的所有細菌裡， 只有不到 1% 的細菌

have been grown and studied in the lab.

有被研究室培養、研究。

Fortunately, we can now access the other 99 percent

但，很幸運地，現在我們 能研究剩下的 99% 的細菌了。

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

多虧了我同事吉爾・班菲爾德 開創先河的研究，

and her breakthrough technology,

以及先進的技術：

metagenomics,

總體基因體學，

which is a tool that allows us to figure out

一種讓我們釐清哪些菌種參與作用，和

what species are present

and what they're doing in a microbial community.

不同細菌在細菌群中如何行動的工具。

Metagenomics creates a detailed blueprint of a complex microbiome,

總體基因體學幫我們精確地 繪製出微生物群落的藍圖，

and that means that we can use it

我們能用這張藍圖

to figure out how to use gene editing tools

來計畫怎麼用基因編輯工具來編輯

in the right gene, in the right organism.

特定有機體裡需要修改的基因。

You might be wondering how we can take this new knowledge

你可能在想該如何應用這新技術

and harness it to solve real world problems.

來解決現實世界裡的問題。

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

這個嘛，科學家正在嘗試結合 這兩個劃時代的創新技術，

metagenomics and CRISPR,

總體基因體學和 CRISPR ，

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

來開拓新的科學領域，名叫 「精準微生物群落編輯」，

This will allow us to discover links between dysfunctional microbiomes

讓研究員找出不正常運作的微生物群落

and disease or greenhouse gas emissions.

與疾病或溫室氣體排放的關聯。

We can develop modified and improved microbiome editors

我們能研發新版本的微生物群落編輯器，

and show that they're safe and effective.

向大家證明基因編輯安全又有效。

And we can then begin to deploy these optimized solutions

然後，開始利用這些更好的解決方案

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

來創造出下一批劃時代的新技術。

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

那，這技術跟我們和地球的 健康有什麼關聯呢？

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

世界最貧窮的國家和人民 受到氣候變遷的影響最大，

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

但氣候變遷是最富有的人們引起的。

And methane is a big part of the problem.

甲烷是氣候變遷裡的一大問題，

It's been a major contributor to rising global temperatures

它一直以來都是造成氣溫上升的主要原因

since preindustrial times.

從工業時代來臨前就從未改變。

Specific microbiome compositions in livestock

家畜體內特定的微生物群落組成

can actually reduce methane emissions by up to 80 percent.

最多可以減少 80% 甲烷排放量。

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

但現在實行的話，每天都需要介入，成本太高，

and it just doesn't scale.

且無法大規模施行。

But with precision microbiome editing,

但有了精準編輯微生物群落的技術，

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

我們就能在小牛誕生時就 馬上編輯體內的微生物群落，

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

把牠帶給地球的衝擊 降到最小，一生有效。

And this is beneficial for farmers

這個方案對農夫也有好處，

because reduced methane production

因為甲烷產出的減少

means more efficient conversion of feed into food.

同時代表著能量轉換效率的上升。

Importantly, these tools can be used in the future

更重要的事，這些工具未來可以運用在

to reduce methane emissions from other sources,

各種需減少甲烷排放的地方，

like landfills, wastewater and rice paddies.

像是掩埋場、廢水，和稻田。

Ultimately, microbiomes generate

最後，微生物群落產出的甲烷量

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

接近全球甲烷總排放量的三分之二。

So our technology could really move the needle

所以，這個技術能為

in our fight against climate change.

阻止氣候變遷做出巨大貢獻。

In human health,

人體健康方面，

asthma affects up to 300 million people around the world,

氣喘在全球影響了接近三億人的生活，

a number that grows by 50 percent each decade,

而且患者數量還每年增加 50% 。

and it disproportionately affects lower-income children.

氣喘對低收入家庭的小孩影響特別大。

Our team has identified a promising link

我們的團隊找到了氣喘和

between a molecule produced in the gut microbiome

腸胃微生物群落所產生的一種分子

and asthma development.

兩者的可能關聯。

With precision microbiome editing,

有了精準編輯微生物群落的技術，

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

我們就能提供可能罹患氣喘的小孩 治療氣喘的非侵入式療程，

that would eliminate asthma-inducing molecules,

這療程能殲滅誘發氣喘的分子，

changing her life trajectory.

扭轉孩子的人生。

And what's really exciting

更讓人振奮的是，

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

以後這套同樣的方法可以幫我們治療，

or even prevent human diseases

甚至預防人類身上

that are linked to the gut microbiome,

與腸胃微生物群落有關的疾病，

including obesity, diabetes and Alzheimer's.

包括肥胖和阿茲海默症。

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

能用 CRISPR 來編輯

to edit the same tiny organisms that gave us CRISPR.

激發我們開發出 CRISPR 的有機體， 我覺得相當不可思議。

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

使用 CRISPR 是種和大自然的合作。

Together, we can use CRISPR-powered precision microbiome editing

以 CRISPR 為基礎開發的 微生物群落精準編輯技術，

to build a more resilient future for all of us.

能讓我們建構修復力更高的未來世界。

Thank you very much.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）