Gene Writers™
: a genome engineering technology based on mobile genetic elements that consists of a protein and an RNA or DNA template to effect a therapeutic change.
Flagship Flashcards
bioplatform
: biotechnologies that enable intentional and repeatable generation of medicines across many diseases or products for agriculture and sustainability
programmable medicines
: therapeutic modalities based on biological building blocks that can be rationally designed and arranged to achieve a desired effect
human microbiome
: the trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, archaea, protozoa, and fungi, that are found within and on the human body
transfer RNA (tRNA)
: an RNA molecule that decodes mRNA and transfers the appropriate amino acid to the growing polypeptide chain
stop codon disease
: any genetically driven disease that stems from a premature termination codon mutation, which prevent the formation of a complete and functional protein
preemptive health and medicine
: protecting, maintaining, or improving people's health before they get sick by providing interventions targeted to pre-disease states for those that are seemingly healthy but at risk
scope 3 emissions
: greenhouse gas emissions from sources not owned or controlled by an organization, occurring upstream or downstream in its supply chain.
carbon farming
: farming practices that leverage nature-based methods to increase atmospheric carbon sequestration in plant biomass and soil and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
regenerative agriculture
: farm management practices that restore soil health, encourage biodiversity, safeguard water resources, and increase climate resilience while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing productivity and profitability.
nature-positive agriculture
: growing practices that protect, maintain, and enhance ecosystems.
carbon insetting
: nature-based sustainability initiatives upstream or downstream of a company’s operations that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon storage, enhancing the carbon emissions reduction capacity of a supply chain.
agricultural carbon credit
: a permit representing one metric tonne of carbon dioxide that is generated by quantifying and verifying the impact of nature-based methods in either avoiding carbon emissions or increasing the amount of carbon stored in the land.
Gene Writers™
: a genome engineering technology based on mobile genetic elements that consists of a protein and an RNA or DNA template to effect a therapeutic change
By only nicking the DNA, rather than making a double-stranded break, Gene Writers can substitute a single base pair; delete or insert short DNA sequences; or write in entire genes into the human genome.
bioplatform
: biotechnologies that enable intentional and repeatable generation of medicines across many diseases or products for agriculture and sustainability
The power and value of a bioplatform relates to the degree with which it serves a diversity and breadth of applications and can be universally applied.
programmable medicines
: therapeutic modalities based on biological building blocks that can be rationally designed and arranged to achieve a desired effect
The fusion of computation and biology is enabling the development of new medicines with predictable outcomes.
human microbiome
: the trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, archaea, protozoa, and fungi, that are found within and on the human body
These microbes play important roles in human health. Interventions can target imbalances in these communities to restore homeostasis and affect the progression of a wide variety of diseases.
transfer RNA (tRNA)
: an RNA molecule that decodes mRNA and transfers the appropriate amino acid to the growing polypeptide chain
Beyond properly positioning amino acids in the final protein product, tRNA is involved in an entire biological framework for coordinating multicellular life.
stop codon disease
: any genetically driven disease that stems from a premature termination codon mutation, which prevent the formation of a complete and functional protein
Reclassifying patients based on their shared mutation, rather than individual mutated gene or traditionally defined clinical presentation, could unify treatment for seemingly disparate diseases.
preemptive health and medicine
: protecting, maintaining, or improving people's health before they get sick by providing interventions targeted to pre-disease states for those that are seemingly healthy but at risk
Interventions protect health from external threats (i.e., health security) and prevent or delay the onset of diseases (i.e., preemptive medicine).
scope 3 emissions
: greenhouse gas emissions from sources not owned or controlled by an organization, occurring upstream or downstream in its supply chain.
While organizations do not have direct control over these emissions sources, they can influence reduction by selecting suppliers with a low carbon footprint or lengthening the useful lifespan of a product.
carbon farming
: farming practices that leverage nature-based methods to increase atmospheric carbon sequestration in plant biomass and soil and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
Plants convert carbon in the atmosphere to a form they can use via photosynthesis. When the plant biomass decomposes, microbes convert that material into soil organic carbon. Farmers can work with nature to prevent carbon from leaching into the atmosphere and increase the amount that is stored in their land.
regenerative agriculture
: farm management practices that restore soil health, encourage biodiversity, safeguard water resources, and increase climate resilience while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing productivity and profitability.
Soil health is a primary concern for farmers who adopt regenerative practices as healthy soils resist erosion, maximize water infiltration, and improve nutrient cycling. This increases profitability by producing higher yield with fewer inputs.
nature-positive agriculture
: growing practices that protect, maintain, and enhance ecosystems.
Instead of depleting natural resources, food production can be a vehicle for delivering positive outcomes for nature, people, and the climate.
carbon insetting
: nature-based sustainability initiatives upstream or downstream of a company’s operations that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon storage, enhancing the carbon emissions reduction capacity of a supply chain.
While offsets compensate for excessive emissions by funding external sustainability projects, insets proactively look for opportunities to reduce emissions within a company’s sphere of influence. The focus is on embedding practices with a positive environmental impact in the supply chain rather than removing practices with negative impacts.
agricultural carbon credit
: a permit representing one metric tonne of carbon dioxide that is generated by quantifying and verifying the impact of nature-based methods in either avoiding carbon emissions or increasing the amount of carbon stored in the land.
Growers who adopt farming practices that reduce or avoid emissions can produce carbon credits for the voluntary market once the impact of these practices are quantified and verified. Companies or individuals can purchase credits to mitigate the impact of emissions from their operations that cannot be reduced, removed, or avoided.
Essay 08.03.2023
Defining Stop Codon Disease to Unify Treatment for Thousands of Conditions
A type of mutation found across all genetically driven diseases impacts about 30 million people globally. Reclassifying patients with this type of mutation under “stop codon disease” could revolutionize therapeutic development, especially for rare diseases.
