Gene Therapy for the Planet | Perspectives | Perspectives – KQED

An encounter with gene therapy in action inspires Andrew Lewis to believe that healing a sick planet is within reach but depends on all of us.

At a recent North Bay Bob Dylan tribute, I happened to meet a woman who worked as a biochemist at a Bay Area pharma outfit. She manufactures blood proteins used to treat hemophilia. But as we talked, she excitedly announced that one day her work would go away.

She explained that blood coagulant requires 12 distinct proteins. The genome of hemophiliacs, it turns out, are unable to manufacture protein eight. But its now possible to engineer a virus that contains the missing DNA sequence. And if we introduce the virus to hemophiliac marrow, the DNA of the infected marrow will repair and gain the ability to manufacture the missing protein. It all sounded miraculous and strange - voodoo even.

Musicians picked up their guitars, took seats at the keyboards and drum kit and the lilting chime of Mr. Tambourine man filled the room.

Fifteen months ago, a young Greta Thunberg left school and held a sign outside the Swedish Parliament. She stood alone. Skolstrejk fr Klimatet her sign read. Hardly a year later, millions of young people in hundreds of cities and communities in every corner of the globe gathered to strike for climate change.

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Gene Therapy for the Planet | Perspectives | Perspectives - KQED