Zhang Feng, discoverer of GENE editing technology CRISPR, explores the challenges, future applications and development directions of CRISPR!

June 9, according to foreign media reports, recently the Atlantic Monthly interviewed the gene editing technology CRISPR discoverer Zhang Feng, to discuss the technology's challenges, future applications and direction of development and other issues.
Zhang Feng says there are still many problems to be solved before the technology can be used to treat human diseases.
the first time many people see Zhang Feng, they will be surprised that the pioneer in this field of gene editing is so young.
the biologist is only 36 years old, and his bespectacled round face makes him look younger.
know that Zhang Feng has made two promising discoveries.
most important of these is CRISPR, a gene-editing tool that can precisely alter human DNA.
in the media, CRISPR has identified it as a potential tool for treating genetic diseases, curing cancer and creating custom babies.
CRISPR is also the subject of a bitter patent dispute between Zhang Feng's Broad Institute and Jennifer Doudna's University of California, Berkeley.
Dudner also announced that he had made important discoveries for CRISPR.
the patent battle has sparked a debate about who is to blame for the scientific breakthrough.
recently gave a keynote speech at the Crisprcon conference, focusing on the future of the technology.
at the conference, Sarah Zhang, media personality for The Atlantic Monthly, interviewed Zhang Feng to discuss the future application of the technology.
Sarah Zhang: So we're the same last name! However, we are not relatives.
Zhang Feng: Yes, this surname is very common and it's good for anonymity.
Sarah Zhang: When did you become interested in studying biology? Zhang Feng: I don't really like biology.
it's like identifying different kinds of leaves and classifying things.
I'm more interested in math, chemistry, and computers, which are about tearing things apart and re-integrating them.
Sarah Zhang: It sounds like what you did with CRISPR.
CRISPR, which originally comes from bacteria and is used primarily to cut their DNA, was first discovered by scientists studying a little-known bacterium.
you apply this technique to human cells, which can also cut the DNA of human cells.
do you spend a lot of time reading obscure microbiology literature? Zhang Feng: Google is very good, PubMed is also good, so you can search for different things.
the way I look for things is to first have some assumptions or ideas, and then search for things related to that assumption.
then read extensively in the area to see if there is any valuable information on this issue.
Sarah Zhang: You've worked in the school's gene therapy lab, and the development of gene therapy has been tortuous.
(Gene therapy is the implantation of normal genes into people with missing or defective genes; in theory, gene editing with CRISPR can be used to insert, remove or modify existing genes.)
) Gene therapy was hyped up in the early 1990s and then went through a dark low tide, and now we're finally seeing gene therapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
you walked along this curve? What does crispR's future bring you? Zhang Feng: Of course.
I first heard that gene therapy was in a molecular biology class on Saturday.
that was in 1994, or 1995, and the potential of gene therapy was obvious.
If we can cure disease at the genetic level, then we can solve many problems.
So when I went to school, It happened to be a gene therapy lab in Des Moines, and they were recruiting volunteers, so I started working there in my sophomore year.
I've been exposed to various genetic themes. One of the main challenges of
gene therapy is delivery.
How do we introduce therapeutic genes into different tissues? In the laboratory at that time, someone engaged in the study of various viral vectors: Moloney mouse leukemia virus, herpes simplex virus, adenovirus, adenovirus.
these are the different ways people explore the way genes are fed into patients.
exciting, researchers are making progress in making this possible.
then, in 1999, the University of Pennsylvania had bad news.
Sarah Zhang: You mean Jesse Gelsinger died in clinical trials.
the transport virus used in gene therapy caused a massive immune response in the body, which led to his death.
Zhang Feng: This is a very thought-provoking moment for everyone in this field.
so in the past we didn't fully understand the conveyor system.
we don't know the biological characteristics of these viruses.
this also applies to gene editing techniques.
Sarah Zhang: What do you think are the challenges of using CRISPR to treat human diseases? Zhang Feng: The types of conveyor systems we have are still very limited.
we don't have the right delivery system for many of these diseases.
now, we can come into contact with blood cells, eyes, and perhaps ears.
But if we want to do something full-body, there's not a good way.
virus is the way nature transports matter to cells.
this is a method, so we're trying to study and explore a variety of viruses that haven't been used yet.
We've also studied things like exosomes, which are the follicles that cells release to pass information between cells.
Sarah Zhang: It's a natural way.
Zhang Feng: It's a natural way.
we also work together on lipid nanoparticles, lipids.
I think we must take a broad approach to this problem in a comprehensive way.
it is likely that different organizations will need different approaches.
Sarah Zhang: Which organs are the hardest to apply CRISPR? Zhang Feng: I really want to be able to put things into my brain.
but a person who can't eat enough can't pick and choose right now.
you can explore basic biology and find out where nature wants us to go.
Sarah Zhang: When it comes to the brain, your lab has attracted a lot of attention.
but your other half of your research is about the brain, especially mental illness.
Zhang Feng: I've been interested in the brain since I went to college.
that's what makes us who we are.
unfortunately, we know very little about it.
I had a really good friend in college who was mentally ill.
from that experience, I realized that mental illness is a very real disease.
it's not just that this person has had a bad day, it's that these are things we don't really understand.
If I could understand it more, I might be able to find a solution.
Sarah Zhang: Mental illness is probably the biggest gap between our understanding and the biological mechanisms we influence.
Zhang Feng: Yes, that's right. Part of the
is the complexity of the brain.
so many different cells.
so many different cell types. Another reason for
is that the brain is hard to study.
it was wrapped in our skull and was a dense tissue.
it's hard to see how this organization works.
, molecules and signals are so microscopic that these factors make studying the brain more challenging.
so it made me understand that we need new technologies and tools to help break down different cells and different molecules to figure out how they work together in the brain system.
Sarah Zhang: How do you use CRISPR to study the brain? Zhang Feng: Through DNA sequencing, scientists have discovered many genetic variants, some of which are associated with an increased risk of brain disease.
so we experimented with mice using CRISPR to try to understand how they worked.
what are the mechanisms by which they affect brain function? Sarah Zhang: There are a lot of patients who want to know how CRISPR can help them. Zhang Feng: Yes, I get e-mailfrom them every day.
patients and their relatives and friends are really trying to understand what the technology is.
they wanted to know if there was a way to advance the technology so that the treatment could work.
this is a very encouraging message.
I'm reminding myself every day that it's possible to develop something that really helps people.
we can achieve our goals faster as long as we speed up our work.
Sarah Zhang: Isn't that hard? Because, as you said, there are still many challenges, and you may have to tell some people that this cannot be done in the short term.
Zhang Feng: I think we should remind you that we are fortunate enough to make positive changes, and we shouldn't screw it up.
Sarah Zhang: Who trusts CRISPR? Zhang Feng: I think a lot of people believe it.
CRISPR is something that has been studied for decades, so there are a lot of people involved in different stages of work.
some people are important in early detection.
and then others pick up the baton and continue to study basic biology.
this is the beauty of scientific discovery.
our results are based on previous research.
this is how history or civilization was built, with the accumulation of brick-and-mortar years.
Sarah Zhang: Some of you scientists have started to discuss the potential risks of using CRISPR technology in humans.
do you feel like you're in a position of moral authority because it's you who helped bring this technology into the world? Zhang Feng: So I think we all have a responsibility: scientists, the media, policy makers, bioethicists have an obligation to participate in this discussion.
I think that as scientists, we can help communicate what technology is, help explain what it is, and understand what the potential of technology is.
one thing that excites me, and that's how we turn CRISPR into a real healing tool to cure those problems.
One of the things we're very excited about is focusing on how to turn CRISPR into a real treatment tool so that we can treat the disease.
we're a long way from targets such as custom babies.
We don't know enough about biology, we don't even think about what these things really are.
we are not even able to cope with a single mutation that causes sickle cell disease.
Source: NetEase Technology.