DailyDirt: Biotech's Own Exaflood?

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Studying biology takes time. Computer software/hardware has a Moore's law clockcycle that keeps things chugging along at a pretty good clip, but the biotech revolution is growing at a slightly slower pace. Sure, we've seen some cloning, genetically modified organisms and a wide variety of promising medical advances. Perhaps the biotech industry doesn't have an exponentially-growing metric to rally around, but solid progress is leading to an enormous amount of accumulated data, knowledge and possibilities.

• Gene editing technology may become an incredibly important tool, but if the entire field becomes bogged down in a patent thicket, people may die needlessly. Researchers have developed an alternative to CRISPR-Cas9 techniques, but the patent fights and commercialization rights surrounding gene editing techniques will likely continue. [url]
• The "telomerator" is a genetic tool that will allow researchers to study the yeast genome and genetics in general. Genetically engineered microorganisms will be easier to make and study -- and the resulting synthetic yeast genes can be designed to be better models for the biology of higher organisms, such as humans. [url]
• Genome sequencing creates a LOT of data -- even just for human genomes, not counting all the other species out there. By 2025, predictions estimate that a billion people could have their individual genomes sequenced, and all of this information is going to need to be stored somewhere (other than in our bodies), digitally. [url]

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Filed Under: biotech, crispr, gene editing, genome, genome sequencing, gmo, telomerator, yeast