字幕表 動画を再生する
Imagine you were alive back in the 1980's and were told
もし1980年代に
the computers would soon take over everything.
コンピューターがすべてで使われる
>From shopping to dating and the stock market.
と言われたらどうだろう?
That billions of people would be connected via a kind of web.
何億という人がネットで繋がり
That you would own a handheld device
携帯式の機械が
orders of magnitude more powerful than supercomputers.
スパコンの能力を超える と
It would seem absurd but then all of it happened.
突飛な話だが 実際に起きた
Science fiction became our reality that we don't even think about it
SFが現実化したが 人はすぐ慣れた
We're at a similar point today with genetic engineering.
それと近いのが遺伝子工学だ
So let's talk about it.
その話をしよう
Where it came from? What we're doing right now?
今何が起きているのか
And about a recent breakthrough that will change how we live
最新技術は世界をどう変え
and what we perceive as "normal" forever.
新しい常識となっていくのか
Humans have been engineering life for thousands of years. Through selective breeding
"遺伝子組換え"
we strengthened useful traits and plants and animals.
人類は数千年間 工学をしてきた
We became very good at this but never truly understood how it works.
種を選別し 良い特徴を強化したのだ
Until we discovered the code of life: deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA,
成功したが 仕組みは謎のままだった
a complex molecule the guide of the growth, development function
デオキシリボ核酸
and reproduction of everything alive.
DNAを見つけるまでは
Information is encoded in the structure of the molecule.
複雑な分子によって
Four nucleotides are paired and make up a code that carries instructions.
すべての生物は発達 生殖を行う
Change the instructions and you change the being carrying it.
分子構造には情報があり
As soon as DNA was discovered people try to tinker with it.
4つの基本単位が指示を出している
In the 1960's, scientists bombarded plants with radiation
指示を変えれば 生物も変わる
to cause random mutations in the genetic code.
DNAの発見後 研究が始まった
The idea was to get a useful plant variation by pure chance.
60年代 植物に放射線を浴びせ
Sometimes, it actually worked too.
遺伝子に変異を起こさせた
In the 70's, scientists inserted DNA snippets into bacteria, plants and animals
有用なものができないか探し
to study and modify them for research, medicine, agriculture and for fun.
できることもあった
The earliest genetically modified animal was born in 1974,
70年代 細菌 植物 動物の
making mice a standard tool for research, saving millions of lives.
遺伝子の一部を混ぜて組換え
In the 80's, we got commercial.
研究 薬 農業などへの応用を探った
first patent was given for a microbe engineered to absorb oil today we
1974年 組換えたネズミが生まれ
produce many chemicals by means of engineered life like life-saving
研究道具として多くの命を救った
clotting factors growth hormones and insulin, all things we had to harvest
80年代 最初の特許が
from the organs of animals before that. The first food modified in the lab went
石油を食べる微生物で取られた
on sale in 1994: the Flavr Savr tomato, a tomato given a much longer shelf life
現在では多くの化学物質が
where an extra gene that suppresses the build-up of a rotting enzyme. But GM food
組換え生物から生み出されている
and the controversy surrounding them deserve a video of their own.
以前は動物の臓器からだった
In the 1990's there was also a brief foray into human engineering. To treat
1994年 初の遺伝子組換え食品が発売
maternal infertility, babies were made to carry genetic information from
新鮮さが長持ちするそのトマトには
three humans making them the first humans ever to have three genetic
腐敗を抑える遺伝子が入っていた
parents. Today there are super muscled pigs, fast-growing salmon, featherless
この話でも動画が一つ作れるだろう
chickens and see-through frogs. On the fun side, we made things glow in the dark
90年代 人間への応用が始まった
fluorescent zebrafish are available for as little as ten dollars.
不妊治療で3人の遺伝子から
All of this is already very impressive but until recently,
子どもが生まれた
gene editing was extremely expensive, complicated and took a long time to do.
3人の親を持つ最初の人間の誕生だ
This has now changed with a revolutionary new technology now
他に筋肉質のブタ 成長の早いサケ
entering the stage: CRISPR. Overnight, the costs of engineering have shrunk by 99%
毛なしのニワトリ 透明なカエルも
Instead of a year.
明るい話もある
it takes a few weeks to conduct experiments and basically everybody with
光る熱帯魚が今では10ドルで買える
a lab can do it. It's hard to get across how big a technical revolution CRISPR is.
驚くべきことだが
It literally has the potential to change humanity forever.
未だ遺伝子編集はとても高価で
Why did this sudden revolution happen and how does it work?
時間のかかる技術だ
Bacteria and viruses have been fighting since the dawn of life.
そこに今 革命的な新技術が登場した
So-called bacteriophages, or phages, hunt bacteria.
クリスパーだ
In the ocean, phages kill 40% of them every single day.
これにより費用が99%削減され
Phages do this by inserting their own genetic code into
時間も1年から数週間に短縮
the bacteria and taking them over to use them as factories.
簡単に扱えるようになった
The bacteria try to resist, but fail most of the time
このすごさを伝えるのは中々難しい
because their protection tools are too weak.
人類を永久に変える可能性がある
But sometimes, bacteria survive an attack. Only if they do so can they activate
ではこの革命的技術は
their most effective antivirus system. They save a part of the virus DNA in
どんなものなのか
their own genetic code in a DNA archive called CRISPR.
"地球最古の戦争"
Here it's stored safely until it's needed.
細菌とウイルスは昔から戦っている
When the virus attacks again, the bacterium quickly makes an RNA copy
バクテリオファージは細菌を捕まえ
from the DNA archive and arms a secret weapon, a protein called Cas9.
海では毎日その40%を殺している
The protein now scans the bacterium's inside for signs of the virus invader by
自身の遺伝子を注入することで
comparing every bit of DNA it finds to the sample from the archive.
細胞を乗っ取っている
When it finds a 100-percent perfect match
細菌も抵抗するが
it's activated and cuts out the virus DNA making it useless, protecting the
道具が弱すぎて大抵は負ける
bacterium against the attack.
しかし生き残ることもある
What's special is that Cas9 is very precise, almost like a DNA surgeon.
生き残ったのは
The revolution began when scientists figured out that the CRISPR system is programmable.
反ウイルスシステムがあったからだ
You can just give it a copy of DNA you want to modify and put the
そのシステムはウイルスのDNAを
system into a living cell. If the old techniques of genetic manipulation were
クリスパーに保存する
like a map, CRISPR is like a GPS system. Aside from being precise cheap and easy,
安全なDNA保管庫だ
CRISPR offers the ability to edit life cells to switch genes on and
ウイルスに攻撃されると
off and target and study particular DNA sequences.
ここでRNAをコピーして
It also works for every type of cell: microorganisms, plants
CAS9という秘密兵器に渡す
animals or humans. But despite the revolution CRISPR is for science,
ここではウイルスがいないか
it's still just a first generation tool. More precise tools are already being
体内にあるDNAと
created and used as we speak.
保管していたDNAと照合している
In 2015, scientists use CRISPR to cut the HIV virus out of living cells from patients
100%一致した場合
in the lab, proving that it was possible. Only about a year later they carried out
そのウイルスのDNAを切断し
a larger scale project with rats that had the HIV virus in basically all of
攻撃できなくさせている
their body cells. By simply injecting CRISPR into the rats tails, they were
その仕事はとても正確で
able to remove more than 50% of the virus from cells all over the body.
DNAの外科医と言える
In a few decades, a CRISPR therapy might cure HIV and other retroviruses.
この機能が利用できると
Viruses that hide inside human DNA like herpes could be eradicated this way.
気づいたのが大きかった
CRISPR could also defeat one of our worst enemies: cancer. Cancer occurs when
DNAのコピーを渡して
cells refused to die and keep multiplying while concealing themselves
細胞に入れればいい
from the immune system. CRISPR gives us the means to edit your immune cells and
古い技術が地図だとすれば
make them better cancer hunters. Getting rid of cancer might eventually mean
クリスパーはGPSシステムだ
getting just a couple of injections of a few thousand of your own cells that have
正確で 安く 簡単な
been engineered in the lab to heal you for good.
遺伝子の編集が可能になり
The first clinical trial for a CRISPR cancer treatment on human patients was
遺伝子を操作して
approved in early 2016 in the US. Not even a month later, Chinese
研究できるようになった
scientists announced that they would treat lung cancer patients with immune
どの細胞でも可能だ
cells modified by CRISPR in August 2016. Things are picking up pace quickly.
細菌 植物 動物 人間のでも
And then there are genetic diseases. There are thousands of them and they range,
十分革命的だが
from merely annoying to deadly or entail decades of suffering. With a powerful
これはまだ第一世代の道具で
tool like CRISPR, we may be able to end this. Over 3,000 genetic diseases are
今はより正確な道具が作られている
caused by a single incorrect letter in your DNA.
"病気はなくなる?"
We are already building a modified version of Cas9 that is made to
2015年 クリスパーで細胞内の
change just a single letter, fixing the disease in the cell. In a decade or two
HIVウイルスの除去を試すと
we could possibly cure thousands of diseases forever. But all of these
うまくいった
medical applications have one thing in common: they are limited to the
次に 全細胞がHIVに感染した
individual and die with them, except if you use them on reproductive cells or
ネズミを使って実験すると
very early embryos. But CRISPR can and probably will be used for much more:
クリスパーを注射しただけで
the creation of modified humans, designer babies and will mean gradual but
50%以上のウイルスが除去できた
irreversible changes to the human gene pool.
これを使えばHIVウイルスの他
The means to edit the genome of a
ヘルペスなどのウイルスも
human embryo already exists, though the technology is still in its early stages.
数十年以内に撲滅できるだろう
But it has already been attempted twice: in 2015 and 2016, Chinese scientists
クリスパーは最悪の敵
experimented with human embryos and were partially successful on their second
ガンにも使える
attempt. They showed the enormous challenges we still face in gene editing
ガンは細胞が死を拒み
embryos but also that scientists are working on solving them.
体内に潜伏したものだが
This is like the computer in the seventies: there will be better computers.
免疫細胞を強化すれば
Regardless of your personal take on genetic engineering, it will affect you.
発見も可能になる
Modified humans could alter the genome of our entire species because their
将来ガンの治療は
engineered traits will be passed on to that children and could spread over
強化した自分の細胞の注射で
generations slowly modifying the whole gene pool of humanity. It will start
行われるのかもしれない
slowly: the first designer babies will not be overly designed, it's most likely
2016年初め アメリカで
that they will be created to eliminate deadly genetic disease running a family.
クリスパーの臨床試験が認められ
As the technology progresses and gets more refined, more and more people may argue
ひと月経たず 中国からも
that not using genetic modification is unethical, because it condemns children
肺ガンで試験を行うと発表があった
to preventable suffering and death and denies them to cure. But as soon as the
進歩は早い
first engineered kid is born, a door is opened that can't be closed anymore.
遺伝病はどうだろう
Early on, vanity traits will mostly be left alone, but as genetic modification
死んだり 長く苦しむものなど
becomes more accepted and our knowledge of our genetic code enhances,
たくさんの遺伝病があるが
the temptation will grow.
これもなくせるかもしれない
If you make your offspring immune to Alzheimer, why not also
3000を越す遺伝子病は
give them an enhanced metabolism?
DNAの不具合で起こる
Why not throw in perfect eyesight? How about height or muscular structure?
改良したCAS9なら
Full hair? How about giving your child the gift of extraordinary intelligence? Huge changes
壊れた遺伝子だけを
are made as a result of the personal decisions of millions of individuals
治すことができる
that accumulate. This is a slippery slope. Modified humans could become the new
将来 病気はなくなるかもしれない
standard, but as engineering becomes more normal and our knowledge improves, we
しかし実用には問題もある
could solve the single biggest mortality risk factor: aging. Two-thirds of the
治療法は個人にしか使えず
150,000 people who die today will die of age-related causes. Currently we think
その人の生殖細胞か 初期胚が必要だ
aging is caused by the accumulation of damage to ourselves, like DNA breaks and
クリスパーの用途は他にもある
the system's responsible for fixing those wearing off over time. But there
遺伝子組換え人間の作成だ
are also genes that directly affect aging. A combination of genetic
これは人類自体を変えることになる
engineering and other therapy could stop or slow down aging, maybe even reverse it.
"デザイナーベビー"
We know from nature that there are animals immune to aging. Maybe we could
人間の胚の編集技術はすでに存在し
even borrow a few genes for ourselves. Some scientists even think biological
まだ初期段階ではあるが
aging could be something that eventually just stops being a thing. We would still
すでに2回行われた
die at some point, but instead of doing so in hospitals at age 90
2015年と2016年 中国で実験が行われ
we might be able to spend a few thousand years with our loved ones. Research into
2回目の実験で部分的に成功した
this is in its infancy, and many scientists are rightly skeptical about
多くの課題があるとわかったが
the end of aging. The challenges are enormous, and maybe it is unachievable.
科学者は進歩を果たすだろう
But it is conceivable that people alive today might be the first to profit from
70年代のコンピューターが
effective anti aging therapy. All we might need is for someone to convince a
そうなったように
smart billionaire to make it their next problem to solve. On a bigger scale we
この技術は人類全体に影響を及ぼす
certainly could solve many problems by having a modified population. Engineered
組換えた人間の遺伝子は
humans might be better equipped to cope with high-energy food, eliminating many
世代を経て拡散していき
diseases of civilization like obesity.
やがて人類の種全体を
In possession of a modified immune system with a library of potential
変えることになる
threat, we might become immune to most diseases that haunt us today.
最初は控えめに
Even further into the future we could engineer humans to be equipped for
大きく変えるというより
extended space travel and to cope with different conditions on other planet,
遺伝病を除去する形で始まるだろう