The Breakers Series: Books 1-3

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Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) translates genetic information embedded in DNA into instructions for protein synthesis. It's complicated and because he doesn't focus on that one topic which is changing all the time anyway, it's confusing and to me, frightening. One scientist in China went beyond the unofficial agreements, editing the genes of twins to eliminate a certain virus. He didn't need to do that; an easy method that doesn't involve germline editing is available. But he did and one twin came out fine but Isaacson tells us it didn't go well with the other -- but not why. That scientist is in prison in China now. In another experiment, one conducted in the U.S., one of the trial subjects died. stars: 5+ stars for the science community, including Doudna and Charpentier. 2 stars for the extraneous information in telling the story. Largely by being adroit at operating within the patent system and due to being well funded and supported in his enterprises. Bradford Hardie III, an American cryptographer during World War II, contributed insider information, German translations from original documents, and intimate real-time operational explanations to The Codebreakers. [ citation needed]

Book Review: ‘The Code Breaker,’ by Walter Isaacson - The New Book Review: ‘The Code Breaker,’ by Walter Isaacson - The New

This all started in 2012 when Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna dropped a seminal (no pun intended) paper on CRISPR Cas9. In 1989 Doudna received her PhD from Harvard. She then went on to do her postdoctoral studies in Colorado, with Tom Chech, a man that she both respected and admired, namely for his discovery of self-splicing introns, and for leading the very best RNA biochemistry lab, at the time.I really enjoyed the story of how CRISPR was discovered. Isaacson puts a lot of onus on the trait of curiosity across all his biologies (Steve Jobs, Leonardo Da Vinci, etc). And Jennifer Doudna was only a pioneer and discoverer of CRISPR's uses because she was being curious and exploring the bounds of science.

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As sad as those days were for her, their groundbreaking findings were the catalyst to Doudna and her colleagues putting in place the tools that could edit genes. During a TV interview for a science news show, when explaining what the implications of such technology could be, she said, "One possibility is that we might be able to cure or treat people who have genetic defects." Driven by a passion to understand how nature works and to turn discoveries into inventions, she would help to make what the book’s author, James Watson, told her was the most important biological advance since his co-discovery of the structure of DNA. She and her collaborators turned ​a curiosity ​of nature into an invention that will transform the human race: an easy-to-use tool that can edit DNA. Known as CRISPR, it opened a brave new world of medical miracles and moral questions.

Well, what can I say about this book? I am feeling intensely emotioanl about this one and obviously, I would give it A Thousand Stars! Apart from Atul Gawande's "Being Mortal", this is another best-read for me in 2021! Such a brilliant, marvellous piece on CRISPR, its application in genome editing, diagnosing & curing diseases, and how it can be used to fight coronavirus. And most importantly, the star of this book is Jennifer Doudna - the Wonder Woman in science. November 17 – December 30, 2023 Admission at 4 pm, 4:30 pm, 5 pm, 5:30 pm and 6 pm. Gates close at 6:30 pm. House & grounds close at 8 pm And this male v female, basic v applied, public v private showdown almost ended up in a very wounding and unsightly recapitulation of that famously uncool chapter of recent history. Jennifer’s father gave her a copy of The Double Helix when she was six, sparking her keen interest in gene research. Later its author, James Watson, said her CRISPR development was “the most important biological advance since his co-discovery of the structure of DNA.”

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I will say that I'm not 100% clearly picturing how gene editing works despite the lengthy explanations. But I definitely understood the results. Isaacson leaves no aspect of this story unearthed. He describes the way research labs compete with each other, the various breakthroughs since mapping DNA, the personalities involved, the moral quandaries involved with manipulating genes, and how all this research ultimately enabled the development of the COVID vaccines. As it turned out the CRISPR story includes some tales of lawsuits caused by the final dash—and subterfuge—for patent rights. Scrambling to get findings published first in a science journal made these scientists look like conceded narcissists. Then when things advanced to the awards stage I was sorry to see some old friendships and partnerships chill as a result of jealousy. in 2016 when James Clapper, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, issued the agency's annual "Worldwide Threat Assessment" and it included for the first time "genome editing" as a potential weapon of mass destruction.'

The book's most thought-provoking section is where the author discusses moral and ethical issues with the new science. The author goes through a host of points that are being debated in the scientific community. The book does not attempt any answers, which is fine. The primary purpose is to make the readers think, which it does well through the concise and precise presentation of the issues. While somatic gene editing gets a pass with me until I can be convinced otherwise, germline editing - inheritable changes made through reproductive cells - on the other hand, has me in full-force hypervigilance mode. As amazing as these new heights being reached by CRISPR were, like any great technology, there is the possibility that it could be weaponised and used for nefarious reasons. This was when the book started to weigh heavy on my psyche, and I found myself putting it down to discuss the ethics with my husband. I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that these advances would be in the same vein as the splitting of the atom, or the proliferation of the internet. How does one truly feel about such important and life changing technologies that could also be the authors of the world's destruction? The Infinites don’t want to help but, if they don’t, there is a risk that their own identities will be made public, which would have devastating consequences. And so begins a dizzying and disorientating adventure that has them zigzagging across time, from 2050 to the Victorian great railway age. Isaacson may be brilliant at writing biographies (I've never read any of them), but this book is neither a comprehensive biography of Jennifer Doudna (or any of the other scientists involved), nor is it a decent science book that explains the science of the CRISPR (a gene editing tool) mechanism in any detail. This is rather an all over the place, long-winded, and choppy mish-mash of vague biography with history and a bit of science, starting with the discovery of DNA by James Watson and proceeding through the decades with all the smaller discoveries that led to CRISPR gene editing and it's uses, not to mention the confusing legal wrangles and ethics - all of it interspersed with the authors unwanted opinions! The author does manage to show that science is generally collaborative and great discoveries are based on other discoveries, but this book has too much fluff and not enough substance.