The Code Breaker- Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson
Product details
Web ID: 18023737Bacground on RNA Vaccines and SO Much More
In "The Double Helix," James Watson outlined how he and Francis Crick discovered the double-helix formation of DNA. Reading this book changed the young Jennifer Doudna's life: she was fascinated by how chemistry became biology through the structure and function of chemical molecules (paraphrase, p.8). Through studying how bacteria learn how to repel viruses, Doudna went on to discover how RNA - the molecule that interprets DNA and replicates it - works and how it can replicate itself and make proteins. Her lab was one of the discoverers of the CRISPR technique (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) to "cut" DNA, removing or integrating new pieces of DNA to alter the function of a particular protein. Whoa. CRISPR and later discoveries have revolutionalized biochemistry and medicine. For example, it is now possible to "cure" someone of sickle cell anemia w/ gene therapy. For these discoveries, Dr. Doudna and partners won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020 for discovering one of gene technology's sharpest tools: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors. This book, "The Code Breaker:..." is a biography of Dr. Doudna, but even more importantly, a history of how basic scientific research turned into lucrative competition in CRISPR. I didn't realize how cutthroat scientific research could be until reading this! Dr. Doudna's lab at UC-Berkeley was in constant competition w/ labs in Boston, especially Feng Zhang who was also working on Cas9 as the CRISPR enzyme in 2012. Why did I want to read this? Because this book is actual proof that work on mRNA products was on-going for YEARS before SARS-CoV-2 entered our lives in late 2019, causing the massive grief of the COVID-19 pandemic. So many folks were hesitant to receive one of the really-revolutionary COVID vaccines b/c RNA vaccines were "brand new." The VACCINES WERE brand new ... but the science behind them was more than a decade old. And it is now possible for humans to alter their own genes w/ science; we don't have to wait centuries for nature to bring about the transformation any more. The reason for four stars is definitely not the writing. Mr. Isaacson is a stellar historian and interesting writer. No, the reason is because all the science in the book is HARD ... and I'm a pharmacist who is fascinated by this subject! Also, I got a bit weary of the focus on the competition between the labs and ESPECIALLY by the lengthy examination of the moral ethics involved in gene-editing of human beings. If Mr. Isaacson was going to get into morality, I wished he'd explored the monetary cost of the new biologic gene-altering products that have reached the market. One medication to cure a child of spinal atrophy costs $3 million dollars! Yes, the child is cured ... but who pays this massive cost for the treatment? Anyway, it was an excellent read and I am reassured that I did correctly explain how the vaccines work to those who were vaccine-hesitant in my life. In "The Double Helix," James Watson outlined how he and Francis Crick discovered the double-helix formation of DNA. Reading this book changed the young Jennifer Doudna's life: she was fascinated by how chemistry became biology through the structure and function of chemical molecules (paraphrase, p.8). Through studying how bacteria learn how to repel viruses, Doudna went on to discover how RNA - the molecule that interprets DNA and replicates it - works and how it can replicate itself and make proteins. Her lab was one of the discoverers of the CRISPR technique (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) to "cut" DNA, removing or integrating new pieces of DNA to alter the function of a particular protein. Whoa. CRISPR and later discoveries have revolutionalized biochemistry and medicine. For example, it is now possible to "cure" someone of sickle cell anemia w/ gene therapy. For these discoveries, Dr. Doudna and partners won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020 for discovering one of gene technology's sharpest tools: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors. This book, "The Code Breaker:..." is a biography of Dr. Doudna, but even more importantly, a history of how basic scientific research turned into lucrative competition in CRISPR. I didn't realize how cutthroat scientific research could be until reading this! Dr. Doudna's lab at UC-Berkeley was in constant competition w/ labs in Boston, especially Feng Zhang who was also working on Cas9 as the CRISPR enzyme in 2012. Why did I want to read this? Because this book is actual proof that work on mRNA products was on-going for YEARS before SARS-CoV-2 entered our lives in late 2019, causing the massive grief of the COVID-19 pandemic. So many folks were hesitant to receive one of the really-revolutionary COVID vaccines b/c RNA vaccines were "brand new." The VACCINES WERE brand new ... but the science behind them was more than a decade old. And it is now possible for humans to alter their own genes w/ science; we don't have to wait centuries for nature to bring about the transformation any more. The reason for four stars is definitely not the writing. Mr. Isaacson is a stellar historian and interesting writer. No, the reason is because all the science in the book is HARD ... and I'm a pharmacist who is fascinated by this subject! Also, I got a bit weary of the focus on the competition between the labs and ESPECIALLY by the lengthy examination of the moral ethics involved in gene-editing of human beings. If Mr. Isaacson was going to get into morality, I wished he'd explored the monetary cost of the new biologic gene-altering products that have reached the market. One medication to cure a child of spinal atrophy costs $3 million dollars! Yes, the child is cured ... but who pays this massive cost for the treatment? Anyway, it was an excellent read and I am reassured that I did correctly explain how the vaccines work to those who were vaccine-hesitant in my life.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Explains genetic science for a popular audience
In our generation, codes comprise some of the most interesting subjects of study. We code computers to do work for us; we also are beginning to decode the genetic code to propel life forward. The discovery of CRISPR promises to allow us to edit the human genome, and Professor Doudna sits among this innovation’s prime discoverers. Along with another female scientist Professor Charpentier, she won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2020. This biography, written by eminent historian Walter Isaacson, tells her story in a way that clarifies the historical record, explains the core science, and demonstrates that women do really excellent science. Doudna was inspired as a teenager to become a scientist by reading Watson’s The Double Helix. Like any scientist, she had to persevere along her path, but she eventually earned a PhD from Harvard University en route to a professorship at UC-Berkeley. She found a professional niche in learning everything about RNA. As explained here, through conversations with Charpentier and work by post-doctoral fellows, she eventually developed a way to edit genes. However, this discovery only invited controversy. The two labs had co-discovered how to do this in bacteria, but could they do this in humans? Other labs began to pursue this question, too, and two groups claim legal priority in this discovery. The courts may decide who will get the money, but the Nobel committee clearly decided that this all-female duo deserved preeminence. Isaacson, a careful writer with a long history of describing innovation, maintains an unbiased tone when dissecting this dilemma. Ultimately, this book might prove to be the equivalent of The Double Helix for a new generation of scientists, both male and female. It presents Doudna as a noble figure who studies interesting and impactful things. It also presents a host of postdoctoral workers and collaborators who deservedly find their own place in the scientific folklore. Isaacson, though a historian and biographer – not a scientist – never scrimps on the science. He lucidly and accurately describes the biochemical happenings without over-complexifying or over-simplifying. This book should receive a broad audience among the reading public. As this book repeatedly trumpets, the life sciences are carrying the banner of innovation in the early twenty-first century. Thus, it behooves everyone to learn how to import its insights into our personal lives. Isaacson writes with clarity and vibrancy enough for the general reader, who may not have an advanced scientific education. He also gives readers a taste of how the structure of American science works by providing glimpses into the labs and administrations. Thus, future scientists can learn how science actually works. Many can, have, and will benefit from Isaacson’s explanation of Doudna and company’s labors, and as with CRISPR, benefits will roll in during coming years.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Proceed with caution
Dr. Doudna’s accomplishments in science are significant, nevertheless, CRISPR/Cas technology was not sufficiently tested in lab and henceforth is still not ready for the “human trials”, which have been suggested by some. In many ways, the length of time of most FDA approved technologies (about a decade, sometimes two) are such because they require validation and long term review/follow up. The “immortal” cancer cells that these experiments are done in have mutations that alter their metabolism, and the antibiotics which were used for selection of “successful CRISPR” clones, also change metabolism of some epigenetic pathways - further affecting the conditions of preliminary experiments. Importantly, there are technologies/screening tests which should be evaluated for safety and efficacy as well. Whereas CART was ex Vivo gene therapy and tested prior to treatment of leukemias&; the off-target effects of Cas9 have been reported. The potential for this technology is there, though the translation (and whether it’s application) will be alternatively spliced in actual gene expression remains to be validated with more preclinical work. In medicine as well as science, focusing on safety first will always be worthwhile, and this would require additional safety checkpoints. It would be worthwhile to see this applied to improving plants first.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com