The tech revolution isn't just
about robots who love anal.
It's about slightly more.
There's a biotech revolution
happening that's bringing us
closer to a future where disease
is a thing of the past.
Woman: Gene editing.
That's what they call it.
And it uses something called
the CRISPR system.
They're hoping that someday
doctors might be able
to turn off the genes
that are making people sick.
Thank you.
Thank you for explaining it
to me like I'm 5.
"Doctors might be able
to turn off the sick genes."
See, that's that kind of science
I can understand.
In other news, North Korea
might stop testing bang-bangs
that will make people melty.
Using CRISPR,
scientists have been able
to develop
drought-resistant crops,
wipe out
disease-carrying mosquitoes,
and improve organ donation.
Woman: Scientists used
cloning and gene editing
to create virus-free piglets.
Their organs could one day
be used to help the hundreds
of thousands of people
awaiting transplants.
"Good news. We found a donor.
Better news. You're now safe
from Jewish cannibals!
[ Laughter ]
Oink vey."
Some gene therapies
are even able to treat
certain forms of leukemia.
Amazing, but don't get too
hopeful. This is America.
If you want to access
this country's cutting-edge
medical advancement,
it's going to cost you.
Man: David, take us through
the cost for this.
I want to get this right.
This is eye-popping.
Almost half a million dollars.
$475,000?
Man: What Novartis,
the pharmaceutical company,
negotiated with the Center
for Medicare Services,
which is the U.S. government,
is that you only have to pay
if the child is in remission
at one month.
So you only pay
if the drug works.
Terrific!
The treatment costs
more than a house,
but it has the same return
policy as a new mattress.
Try it for a month,
and if you're not happy
with the results,
just ship us
your dead loved ones,
and we'll give you
a full refund.
So if miracle genetic cures
cost hundreds of thousands
of dollars,
what are we supposed to do?
Experiment on ourselves like
some sort of mad scientist?
Woman: Here in this downtown
Oakland community center,
over 100 citizen scientists
gathered
for the BioHack the Planet
conference.
Many of them
have set up labs in garages
and don't have any formal
degree whatsoever.
A home CRISPR kit costs $160.
You can literally
order DNA online
and just [bleep] around with it
in your garage.
And a lot of people
might think that's wrong
because you shouldn't
"play God."
But come on.
Everything we do is playing God.
You take medicine, playing God.
Artificial food, playing God.
God didn't want
any of this shit.
Like, anyone who thinks
that you shouldn't play God
deserves to die
from a cold in an empty cave
where the only form of
entertainment is your brother
being eaten by
a sabertooth tiger.
[ Cheers and applause ]
I'm not worried about God.
I'm worried about some idiot
who doesn't know
what he's doing.
Or, worse, some idiot who
 does know what he's doing.
Woman: The code for how
smallpox can be made,
it's just available
on the Internet.
Woman:
And we worry that eventually
this will become easier
for people to do with smallpox,
and somebody in their kitchen
would be able to do this.
It's like a Blue Apron
of bioterrorism.
"With a few fresh ingredients
and some simple instructions,
you can make a classic smallpox
your whole family will die for!
I like to sprinkle some polio
on the top.
It's not for everyone,
but I like the taste."
But that's what it's come to.
If pharma companies won't make
life-saving treatments
affordable,
we may end up relying on
DIY geneticists
building cures
in their basements.
The question is,
can we really trust them?
Man: Ascendance Biomedical
is run by one guy --
Aaron Traywick.
It makes sense as a company
to provide those therapies
to individuals
who want to, uhhhh...
experiment.
If guys like him
are the future of medicine,
then I'm pretty sure
we're all fuhhhh...
then I'm pretty sure
we're all fuhhhh...
[Bleep]
