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Leaps Talk #6: The Culture of Synthetic Biology and Moonshots for a Better World at SynBioBeta 2020

Leaps by Bayer
6.22K subscribers
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60K views 4 years ago
Separated by many miles and a pandemic, George Church, Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and the MIT, D.A. Wallach, a leading biotech investor and acclaimed recording artist, and Kira Peikoff, journalist and Editor in Chief at leapsmag, held a souped-up Zoom conversation as part of the virtual SynBioBeta conference 2020. In this wide-ranging discussion, they explore biotech moonshots ranging from a universal virus vaccine, synthesizing food for the colonies of mars, as well as mid- and short-term-innovations that could help tackle the health and climate crises humanity is facing. About Leaps Talks: Breakthroughs in biotech could change the world for the better, but they also raise important ethical questions that cannot solely be answered by scientists and investors. That’s why we’re engaging society in this critical dialogue. Leaps Talks is a speaker series that aims to …...more
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Leaps Talk #6: The Culture of Synthetic Biology and Moonshots for a Better World at SynBioBeta 2020
22Likes
60,114Views
2020Oct 21
Separated by many miles and a pandemic, George Church, Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and the MIT, D.A. Wallach, a leading biotech investor and acclaimed recording artist, and Kira Peikoff, journalist and Editor in Chief at leapsmag, held a souped-up Zoom conversation as part of the virtual SynBioBeta conference 2020. In this wide-ranging discussion, they explore biotech moonshots ranging from a universal virus vaccine, synthesizing food for the colonies of mars, as well as mid- and short-term-innovations that could help tackle the health and climate crises humanity is facing. About Leaps Talks: Breakthroughs in biotech could change the world for the better, but they also raise important ethical questions that cannot solely be answered by scientists and investors. That’s why we’re engaging society in this critical dialogue. Leaps Talks is a speaker series that aims to drive this dialogue by gathering leading minds from distinct disciplines to discuss ethics, opportunities, and challenges in biotech innovation. Learn more: https://leaps.bayer.com/engagement/ George Church: George Church is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is Director of the U.S. Department of Energy Center on Bioenergy at Harvard and MIT and Director of the National Institutes of Health Center of Excellence in Genomic Science at Harvard. George is widely recognized for his innovative contributions to genomic science and his many pioneering contributions to chemistry and biomedicine. In 1984, he developed the first direct genomic sequencing method, which resulted in the first commercial genome sequence (the human pathogen, H. pylori). He helped initiate the Human Genome Project in 1984 and the Personal Genome Project in 2005. George invented the broadly applied concepts of molecular multiplexing and tags, homologous recombination methods, and array DNA synthesizers. D.A. Wallach: D.A. Wallach is a leading venture capital investor and an acclaimed recording artist. He has made a name for himself backing a series of industry-defining technology companies including Spotify, SpaceX, Ripple, The Boring Company, and Memphis Meats. Since 2015, D.A. has focused almost exclusively on biotechnology and healthcare, seeking to reinvent medicine through breakthrough start-ups like Beam, Glympse, Doctor on Demand, Devoted Health, and Neuralink.Forbes deemed D.A. one of its “30 Under 30,” and Fast Company named him one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business. Kira Peikoff: Kira Peikoff is a journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, Nautilus, Popular Mechanics, The New York Academy of Sciences, and other outlets. She is also the author of four suspense novels that explore controversial issues arising from scientific innovation: Living Proof, No Time to Die, Die Again Tomorrow, and Mother Knows Best. Peikoff holds a B.A. in Journalism from New York University and an M.S. in Bioethics from Columbia University. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and son. SynBioBeta: SynBioBeta is the premier innovation network for biological engineers, investors, innovators and entrepreneurs who share a passion for using biology to build a better, more sustainable universe. The organization provides community members with personal and professional development support, as well as valuable opportunities for partnership, collaboration, networking, and education. Read more at SynBiobeta.com or sign up to the SynBioBeta weekly newsletter here: https://synbiobeta.com/subscribe/ About us: Leaps by Bayer invests in paradigm-shifting advances in the life sciences – targeting the breakthroughs that could fundamentally change the world for the better. Our approach is making significant and sustained investments in disruptive biotechnologies that could have the greatest impact on humanity. Connect with us: https://leaps.bayer.com/   / leapsbybayer     / leaps  

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Leaps by Bayer

6.22K subscribers