GENOME: The Future Is Now WEBISODE 3

Meet John Halamka, volunteer #2 of the Personal Genome Project. GENOME: THE FUTURE IS NOW, a multi-media documentary project with a film and interactive website, has exclusive access to Harvard scientist Dr. George Church and his Personal Genome Project (PGP) in which he unlocks the genome sequences of the first ten volunteers offering themselves up as guinea pigs, pioneers, genomic astronauts for an unprecedented experiment at the crossroads of science, health, and ethics. Visit us online at www.necessaryfilms.com/genome.html

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• George
• Church;
• Genome;
• Personal
• Genome
• Project:
• genomics;
• personalized
• medicine;
• science;
• ethics;
• gene
• sequencing;
• Steven
• Pinker;
• Kirk
• Maxey;
• Rosalynn
• Gill;
• Misha
• Angrist;
• Keith
• Batchelder;
• Esther
• Dyson;
• James
• Sherley;
• John
• Halamka;
• Stan
• Lapidus;
• Harvard

[dapaulson]

This project has now gone wide. I got my collection kit today.

[rdxm]

Apparently narcissism is one requirement for being a volunteer...

[HenryDavidT]

@SisterOfKarn  His name is Jack Szostak.

[SisterOfKarn]

@jmaytum OK, one more, sorry! =D He has a colleague at HSPH (can't remember his name off the top of my head, but if you're interested I can look it up) who has been working on models of what may have been the very first cell membrane - what it would ave been made of with the environment and building blocks in that early era. And he's done it! He has a working model that actually divides with a tiny push as well - first division could have been spurred by water currents. =D So Awesome!

[SisterOfKarn]

@jmaytum Can't seem to fit everything into one reply - sorry. Anyway, he's done it, he's made a synthetic ribosome sucessfully! He's ID'd the other factors that are critical to a working cell, and is now working on synthesizing those from scratch. He says he thinks he can have a truly man-made cell within a year! I was really surprised he was not involved in the partially man-made one that was done the end of last year.

[SisterOfKarn]

@jmaytum Having said that, 'm very lucky in that I work in a research lab near him that collaborates with his work often - we used to more back when we did Proteomics. I've met him a few times, though he would likely have no reason to remember me. He is Amazing and a true Genius - and a very kind and wonderful person too. His lectures (the ones I've seen) are engaging and fun. =) And the Ribosome work is just unreal! He's done it already, btw,..

[SisterOfKarn]

@jmaytum Sorry for the late reply. =) Actually, I decided a little more than half way through screening not to jin at this time, but I can always go back in later. After long conversations with the staff, my doctors and my family (who were w bit concerned with my - and therefore their - genomic info being available online to anyone). One family member is a lawyer and I spoke with him on many occasions too. I likely took the coward's way, but decided it's not a good idea @ this time.

[SisterOfKarn]

@VegetoStevieD His medical and genomic information (he was the first scanned in the project) is also freely available online at Google Health - everyone in the project is there too, it's part of the project. If you go to the website, you can find a link to every volunteer's information.

[jmaytum]

@SisterOfKarn Did you get in? If you are lucky enough to speak to prof. George Church (what a genius and wonderful human he is) would you mind asking him how he is making out with his synthetic ribosome? This man is considered 20 years ahead of his peers and allows you to deconstruct his machines for decoding genes and use them freely! Good luck to you!

[jmaytum]

@VegetoStevieD He invented that chip and it was a way to show the world that this information could be carried by everyone to aid the medical community in helping/treating you. Imagine you were unconscious - your medical information would be immediately available. Nothing "dumbass" about it.