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Harvard & MIT Professor, author of Regenesis, methods for 1st genome sequence (1994) & 10M-fold improvements (NGS, nanopore), genome editing, writing and recording. In this episode, we get to talk about Genghis Khan ,Woolly Mammoth, storing data in DNA, advice for people getting started, and more all in under one hour!

George is one of the most interesting and down to earth people you’ll read about (might be from the future or an alien, but cannot confirm). He is always working to make all of our lives better. Anytime you are looking for inspiration, do what I do, and learn about what he and his team are working on. I always feel like I can do anything  after reading or listening to the current things he is working on. I hope to one day contribute like he does! As a side note: I am working on something that was inspired from our discussion, so we shall see how that goes.  If anyone is inspired after listening to him talk, please email me and let me know. We can start a fan group around George and scientists in general. Scientists are the unsung superheros of our society! Also, scroll down to the bottom to see the breadth of his work. I felt like it should be put here in it’s entirety. Hyperlinked show notes will go up tonight for this episode and the previous ones that are lacking them! 

Quick bio

“George Church, professor at Harvard & MIT, co-author of 480 papers, 130 patent publications & the book “Regenesis”, developed methods used for the first genome sequence (1994) & million-fold cost reductions since (via NGS and nanopores), plus barcoding, DNA assembly from chips, genome editing, writing & recoding. He co-initiated the BRAIN Initiative (2011) & Genome Projects (1984, 2005) to provide & interpret the world’s only open-access personal precision medicine datasets.

George Church is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Director of  PersonalGenomes.org, which provides the world’s only open-access information on human Genomic, Environmental & Trait data (GET). His 1984 Harvard PhD included the first methods for direct genome sequencing, molecular multiplexing & barcoding. These led to the first genome sequence (pathogen, Helicobacter pylori) in  1994 . His innovations have contributed to nearly all “next generation” DNA sequencing methods and companies (CGI-BGI, Life, Illumina, Nanopore). This plus his lab’s work on chip-DNA-synthesis, gene editing and stem cell engineering resulted in founding additional application-based companies spanning fields of medical diagnostics ( Knome/PierianDx, Alacris, AbVitro/Juno, Genos, Veritas Genetics ) & synthetic biology / therapeutics ( Joule, Gen9, Editas, Egenesis, enEvolv, WarpDrive ). He has also pioneered new privacy,biosafety, ELSI, environmental & biosecurity policies. He is director of an IARPA BRAIN Project and NIH Center for Excellence in Genomic Science. His honors include election to NAS & NAE & Franklin Bower Laureate for Achievement in Science. He has coauthored 480 papers, 130 patent publications & one book (Regenesis).” Source

Articles, videos, and other content with or on George

• How we Benefit from Getting our Genomes Sequenced
• George Church: ‘Genome sequencing is like the internet back in the late 1980s.’
• Reversing Human Aging | George Church | TEDxBeaconStreetSalon
• Check out all of his publications here (no pay walls!!!)
• Easier to navigate list of his work and writing. 

Social Media

Twitter

Hyperlinked Time Stamped Show notes

(click on the time and go right to that section)

1. [ 01:50 ] Genghis Khan comparison.
2. [ 02:30 ] How often he gets strange questions like Elon Musk does at his Q/As.
3. [ 03:26 ] An example of a fun/strange question q/a with Elon (tried finding a good link, but unfortunately couldn’t).
4. [ 04:21 ] How factually accurate vs dramatized is the Woolly Book (currently being made into a movie).
5. [ 05:37 ] A quick discussion on a good/positive version of Jurassic Park (i.e. Woolly movie).
6. [ 06:00 ] Discussion on Jurassic Park science loopholes.
7. [ 07:40 ] Genomic instability discussion (i.e. Double Strange Breaks).
8. [ 09:40 ] How can Germ line DNA last so long without being destroyed/altered by radiation (three key reasons).
9. [ 10:55 ] We start this section by referencing when George put 70 billion copies of his book into DNA (this was seen on the Steven Colbert Show as well), and then I ask how we could do the same in storing data into our germ line (Joe Davis), and then jump into a few of the recent developments in his lab.
10. [ 10:15 ] I ask if he is a real time traveler or not. He would not say.
11. [ 10:45 ] I asked how close we are to the future that he originally envisioned and what’s missing.
12. [ 19:00 ] I ask how whales and elephants have less DNA “chewing” compared to other organisms even though they are bigger and you would think there would be more “chewing” happening.
13. [ 21:30 ] Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and a quick observation on how mice are being advanced, so maybe, one day we’ll be a planet of mice.
14. [ 23:30 ] Continued discussion on Mice Overlords and George’s thoughts on animal rights for mice.
15. [ 24:15 ] Extinction and creation/hybrid of species discussion starts here.
16. [ 25:30 ] I further ask about hybrid species and new species emerging (Inheritors of the Earth: How Nature Is Thriving in an Age of Extinction book recommendation).
17. [ 28:00 ] Woolly Mammoth book reference again, and then I ask if we could bring back entire ecosystems vs key stone species.
18. [ 32:30 ] I ask how quickly the Woolly Project is going, and he outlines how things are going faster then expected.
19. [ 34:45 ] I outline and marvel on all of his projects, and then ask how he manages his time since there is so much going on.
20. [ 37:00 ] I marvel at how he is an adviser for so many great companies, and I ask what being an adviser looks like.
21. [ 38:45 ] I ask about how he developed his lab environment to build an engine of tech transfer and innovation.
22. [ 42:15] Advice/suggestions he would give to those who want to succeed/contribute in science.
23. [ 45:15 ] We discuss George’s lab “open door” and open sourced policy (open sourced DNA sequence instruments, personal genome).
24. [ 46:30 ] A special thank you to George.

This section is for anyone wondering how impressive and amazing George is. This was taken from his website. Bon Appetit!

“George M. Church’s Tech Transfer, Advisory Roles, and Funding Sources Source Here
The first date on each line indicates the year of company founding. (In parentheses are the dates & focus of my involvement.) Founder = F.

Genome Sequencing: (see also Next-gen overview and current genome prices)
Complete Genomics Sunnyvale CA 2006 BGI (2006-present; Next-gen sequencing services)
Danaher-Dover-Polonator Salem NH 2007 (2007-present; sequencing instrument)
Genapsys Redwood City CA 2010 (2010-present) label-free nanosensor array sequencing.
Genia Mountain View, CA (2011-present; then Roche; nanopores)
IBM Yorktown Heights, NY 1911 (2009-2012; DNA Sequencing).
IntelligentBioSystems (IBS, Qiagen) Waltham MA 2006 (2006-2012; Sequencing by Polymerase on beads)
Ion Torrent Guilford, CT 2008 (2009-2013; then LifeTech then Thermo Fisher ; electronic sequencing)
LightSpeed Genomics Sunnyvale CA 2007 (2007-present; high-speed DNA sequencing)
Lynx – Solexa – Illumina   Hayward CA 1992; San Diego 1998 (2000-present; multiplex tags)
NABsys Providence, RI 2005 (2010-present) SbH with nanopores.
Noblegen Biosciences Boston MA 2010 (2010-2014; optipore sequencing)
Roswell Biotechnologies San Diego CA 2016 (2016-present; Biomolecular sensors)
Xgenomes Cambridge MA 2014 (2014-present; Analytical optical instruments)

Clinical and Consumer Genomic Diagnostics:
Alacris Pharmaceuticals (Qiagen) Berlin 2008 (2008-present,F; Cancer genomics & systems biology)
Androcyte Florida 2011 (2011-present; Supercentenarians)
AOBiome Cambridge MA 2013 (2013-present; Skin Microbes)
Arivale Seattle, WA 2015 (2015-present; omics and wellness)
CloudHealth Genomics Shanghai 2017 (2017-present; pan-omics)
GPBio Shanghai 2017 (2017-present; DNA chip diagnostics)
Ecoeos San Francisco 2013 (2013-present; Environmental chemicals and omics)
GenePeeks New York NY & Cambridge MA 2014 (2014-present; pre-conception human genetics)
Good Start Genetics Cambridge 2009 (2009-present; Molecular Diagnostics)
Genos San Francisco, 2016 (2016-present; Personal Genomics)
Logic.Ink San Francisco CA 2015 (2015-present; Data collecting temporary tattoos)
Knome, Inc. (then Tute) Cambridge MA 2007 (2007-present,F; Human Genome Sequencing)
Med Data Quest (MDQ) San Diego CA 2015 (2015-present; Clinical genomics)
NextGenJane 2016 (2018-present; endometrial diagnostics)
NuProbe Cambridge MA 2018 (2017-present; Toehold tech)
Orbit Genomics Boulder CO 2016 (2017-present; precision medicine and DNA repeats)
Pathway Genomics San Diego CA 2008 (2013-present; Personal Genomics)
ReadCoor Boston MA 2014 (2014-present,F; In situ Sequencing)
Searna Boston MA 2015 (2015-present; DNA enrichment diagnostics)
Singlera Genomics La Jolla, CA 2015 (2017-present; Genetic diagnostics)
Twoporeguys Santa Cruz CA 2016 (2016-present; nanopore diagnostics)
Veritas Genetics Danvers MA 2015 (2015-present,F; Clinical Genomics)
23andme Mountain View CA 2006 (2006-present; personal genomics)

Computational, Nucleic Acid Memory, Brain Computer interfaces (BCI)
Centrillion 2017 (2017-present; DNA synthesis)
Alibaba DAMO Academy Hangzhou 2017 (2017-present; DAMO)
GlottaTech Boston MA 2017 (2017-present,F; DNA synthesis)
Iridia San Diego CA 2017 (2018-present; DNA data storage)
Nebula Genomics Boston MA 2018 (2018-present,F; Blockchain Genetics)
Optra Health San Jose, CA 2015 (2018-present; Digital HealthCare)
nference.ai Cambridge MA 2017 (2017-present; Machine Learning)
SolveBio New York NY 2012 (2016-present; Computational genomics)

Synthetic Biology
64-x Boston MA 2017 (2017-present,F; Virus resistant cells)
Cellinobiotech Cambridge MA 2017 (2017-present; ex vivo protein therapeutic delivery)
Cobalt Biomedicine VL39 Boston MA 2018 (2018-present; therapeutics)
EnEvolv Cambridge MA 2011 (2011-present,F; genome engineering)
Enzymatics Beverly MA 2006 (2006-2015; Qiagen Large-scale, high quality enzymes)
Gen9 Cambridge MA 2009 (2009-present,F; Ginkgo, Synthetic Biology)
Genomatica   San Diego CA 2001 (2001-present; microbial metabolic models)
Genome Compiler Corp San Francisco CA 2011 (2011-present; Twist, Genome CAD)
GRO Biosciences Cambridge, MA 2016 (2016-present,F; expanded genetic code)
Inari Medford MA 2016 (2016-present,F; agriculture)
INanoBio Tempe AZ 2007 (2017-present; Sensors & sequencing)
Joule Unlimited Cambridge MA 2007 (2007-2015,F, Redrock; SolarFuels)
Memphis Meats New York NY 2015 (2016-present; tissue culture foods)
Nuclera Nucleics Cambridge UK 2014 (2017-present; DNA synthesis)
Synthego Redwood City CA 2016 (2017-present; RNA synthesis)
Synvitrobio San Francisco CA (2015-present,F; In vitro proten synthesis)
The ODIN, Castro Valley CA 2013 (2016-present; Consumer SynBio)

Stem Cells & Therapeutics
AbVitro (then Juno-Celgene) Boston MA 2010 (2010-2018,F; Immunomes).
BioViva Seattle WA 2015 (2015-present; anti-aging gene therapies)
Caribou Biosciences Berkeley CA 2012 (2013-present; Cas9 tools) & Intellia 2014
Celemics Korea 2011 (2011-present; Genome engineering.)
Editas Cambridge MA 2013 (2013-present,F; Cas9 gene therapy)
Egenesis Bio Boston MA 2013 (2013-present,F; Cas9 non-human applications)
Elysium Health New York, NY 2014 (2015-present; Aging & genomic nutritional supplements)
Fitbiomics Boston MA 2015 (2015-present,F; Wellness & probiotics)
GenEdit Berkeley CA 2015 (2016-present; CRISPR delivery)
Holobiome Boston MA 2016 (2017-present; Brain-gut microbiome therapies)
uBiome San Francisco CA 2012 (2016-present; microbiome measures)
HelixNano Cambridge MA 2013 (2016-present; non-viral gene delivery)
Transposagen Lexington KY 2003 (2014-present; Poseida Therapeutics, Hera Testing; Mammalian genome engineering)
Pronutria Cambridge, MA 2011 (2011-2016; Axcella, nutritional synbio)
Qihan Biotech Hangzhou, China 2018 (2018-present; pig genome engineering)
Recombinetics St. Paul, MN 2008 (2016-present; animal genome engineering)
Rejuvenatebio Boston MA 2015 (2015-present,F; aging-reversal gene therapies)
SeresHealth Cambridge MA 2012 (2012-present; microbiome therapeutics)
Shape Therapeutics Tumwater WA 2018 (2018-present; RNA therapies)
Single Cell Technology San Jose CA 2013 (2013-present; Therapeutic antibodies)
Skinome Santa Clara CA 2016 (2016-present; personalized skin care)
SNIPR Biome LTD Cambridge UK 2017 (2017-present; )
Technicolor SA Issy-les-Moulineaux, France 1914 (2012-present; Nucleic Acid Memory)
Verge San Francisco CA 2015 (2015-present; Neurotherapeutics)
Warp Drive Biosynthetics Boston MA 2011 (2011-present,F; Natural product therapeutics)

Publishing and non-profit groups:
Arc Boston MA 2014 (2014-present; Biomed + IT fusion)
BioWeatherMap.org Boston MA 2009 (2009-present,F; DIYbio)
Centre for Study of Existential Risk (CSER) Cambridge UK 2013 (2013-present; Risk)
Epstein Foundation St. Thomas, VI 2000 (2005-present; cutting edge science & education)
Edge Foundation 1988 (2005-present; science communication)
Future of Life Institute (FLI) Cambridge MA 2014 (2014-present; technology risk management)
Genspace Brooklyn NY 2009 (2011-present; DIY Bio)
MindFirst Foundation Boston MA 2014 (2014-present,F; mental illnesses)
Nature Publishing Group (NPG) 1869 (2005-present; senior editor, MSB)
Open Humans Boston MA 2016 (2016-present,F; open-access human bio-data)
PersonalGenomes.org Boston MA 2004 (2004-present,F; open-access genome & trait data)
pgEd Boston MA 2006 (2013-present; personal genetics education)
AIMS Boston MA 2006 (2018-present; medical education)
Station for Natural Studies CT,MA 1986 (1986-present,F; genetics)
Scientific American 1845 (2008-present; editorial advisor)
X-prize.org Playa Vista CA 1996 (2005-2014; sequencing & energy)

Financial, Investment, Legal Consulting:
ACLU, Supreme Court, Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics (2009; DNA diagnostics)
Amrita GP LLC New York NY 2016 (2016-present; biomedical investment)
Crestwood Advisors LLC Boston MA (Investing)
DeMatteo Monness LLC 1997 (2011-2013; DNA Sequencing)
evalueSCIENCE 2011 (2011-2013; Science and policy advising)
Flagship Ventures   Cambridge MA 2000 (2000-present; genomics & informatics)
Georgarage LLC   Delaware 2014 (2014-present; tech & biotech)
Guidepoint Global (2009-2013; Genomics technologies)
Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG) (2007-2013; Genomics technologies)
US Supreme Court –Susman Godfrey LLP Amici Curiae Ebay & Half.com vs MercExchange LLC (2006; Intellectual Property)

Companies licensing Church lab patents or software:
Agilent Technologies Palo Alto 1999 (2001-present; nucleic acid nanopore sensors)
Affymetrix (Affymax) Palo Alto CA 1993 (1990-2003; Oligonucleotide arrays)
Agencourt (then Beckman Coulter) Beverly MA 2000 (2003-2006; Polony bead sequencing by ligation)
Applied Biosystems Foster City CA 19 81 (2003-2006; via Agencourt, polony bead sequencing by ligation)
Codon Devices (then Gen9) Cambridge MA 2005 (2005-2009,F; Constructive Biology)
Millipore Bedford,MA (1989-1990; multiplex sequencing) and 2009-2013 via EMD
Mosaic Technologies  (then Apogent, Illumina) Boston MA 1994 (1993-94 & 2000-2001; DNA diagnostics)
Oxford NanoPore Technologies Kidlington UK 2005 (2008)
Pyrosequencing (also Biotage – 454)   Stockholm 2000 (2001-2005; modified dNTPs for array sequencing)

Past Advisory roles:
Adeptient Los Altos CA 2000 (2001-2002; inkjet aerosols for drug delivery and array manufacture)
Azco Biotech Oceanside CA 2003 (2009-present; sequencing system)
Biogen Inc.   Cambridge MA 1978 (1984-1985; genomic sequencing)
BeyondGenomics   (then BGMedicine) Cambridge MA 2001 (2000-2004; biomarkers & systems biology)
Bionanomatrix Philadelphia PA 2008 (2009-2010; Fluorescent mapping)
Bruker Daltonics Billerica, MA 1960 (1993-1997; Mass-tags)
Biorad-Sadtler Philadelphia PA (1979-1981; DNA sequencing software)
Cambrian Genomics 2011 (2011-2014; nextgen DNA synthesis + synthesis)
Caliper Technologies    (then PerkinElmer) Palo Alto CA 1995 (1994-2002; microfluidics)
Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) Madison WI 2006 (2009-present; Fujifilm, iPS stem cells)
CodonCode Corp.   Dedham MA 1996 (1996-2003); DNA sequencing software)
DNAdirect  MEDCO San Francisco CA 2004 (2006-2010; DNA diagnostics)
Genizon Cantaloupe Quebec 2008 (2008-2010; In situ sequencing)
Genome Pharmaceuticals (see GPC Biotech, Alacris)     Martinsried, Germany 1998 (1998-2003; genomics for drug targets)
EngeneOS (leading to: Epitome, CodonDevices, Gen9) Cambridge MA 2001 (2000-2005; Engineered Genetic Operating Systems)
First Genetic Trust Chicago, IL 2001 (2001-2002; personal genetic information access)
FamilyGenetix Oxford, UK (2000-2001; Genetic patient history software & services)
Gamera (then Tecan LabCD) Medford MA 1995 (1998-2000; microfluidics)
Genomera San Francisco 2010 (2010-2014; Crowd-sourced Health Insight)
Genome Therapeutics (Oscient & Agencourt, previously Collaborative Research Inc.)   Waltham MA 1961 & 1993 (1984 & 1989-1994; microbial genomes)
GenProfile AG Berlin, Germany 1998 (1997-2001; multiplex haplotyping)
GreenFuel Technologies Corp. Cambridge MA 2004 (2005-2006; Photosynthetic CO2 emissions capture)
Halcyon Molecular Redwood City CA 2009 (2009-2012; Mbp read-length EM sequencing)
Helicos Biosciences Corp   Cambridge MA 2004 (2003-2012; Single-molecule DNA sequencing)
HySeq Chicago 1993 (1993; Sequencing by Hybridization)
LS9   San Francisco CA 2005 (2006-2014,F; then REG Inc., Biologically engineered fuels)
Longenity Inc.; Boston MA 2001 (2001-2005; human aging)
NEB Beverly MA 1975 (2009-2010; protein synthesis)
Pacific Biosciences Menlo Park CA 2004 (2008-2013; real-time single-molecule sequencing)
Pathogenica (then BioInnovation Solutions) Cambridge MA 2010 (2010-2014,F; Pathogencity and Drug resistance diagnostics)
PharmoRx   Wellesley MA 2005 (2005-2013; secure medication)
Qteros (formerly SunEthanol) Amherst MA 2007 (2007-2011; Biofuels)
Receptor Biologix   (then Symphogen San Francisco CA 2003 (2004-2007; alternative splicing)
Sangamo (Gendaq) Richmond CA 1995 (2000-2002; Zn-finger engineering)
Sigma-Aldrich St. Louis 1934 (2009-2015; EMD, chemistry, cells, Board of Directors)
Telome Boston MA 2010 (2010-2014,F; Telomeres and aging)
Xeotron (then Invitrogen)  Houston TX 2000 Atactic (2001-2004; Light-directed DNA/RNA-microarray synthesis)

Corporate & non-profit research sponsors & collaborators not listed above:
Autodesk (2012-present; caDNAano & personal genomics)
Aventis, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer & Hoechst Marion Roussel   Paris, Frankfurt, Collegeville PA, etc. 1990 (1998-2001; computational functional genomics)
BASF grant on metabolic engineering.
CP Foods grant on viral resistant animals
Hamilton Company Reno NV 1957 (1986-1990; multisample handing syringes).
Intelligent Automation (then IBS) Cambridge MA (1992-1996; multipin array oligo synthesizer).
Life Sciences Research Foundation Monsanto Postdoctoral Fellowship 1985-1986.
Lilly Indianapolis IN, 1876 (1998; bioinformatics)
Merck KGaA (EMD) Darmstadt 1688 (2009-2012; protein synthesis)
MJ Research Inc. Waltham MA 1987 (1986-1995; Pulsed Electrophoresis & PCR)
New England Nuclear (then NEN, Dupont/PerkinElmer) Boston MA 1956 (1982-1984; nylon membranes)
Polytech Products. Somerville MA 1982 (1982-1988; Sequencing electrotransfer devices)

Investors in Church Lab Startup Newcos (see also)
Alexandria Venture Editas, EGenesis, Seres
ARCH Venture Partners Arivale, EGenesis, Juno, Twist, Nebula
Biomatics Capital, Boris Nikolic Editas, EGenesis, Twist
Casdin Capital 23andme, Editas
Cultivian Sandbox Ventures EnEvolv
Deerfield Editas, PacBio
Decheng Capital ReadCoor
DFJ Gen9
EcoR1 Capital Editas, Intellia
Flagship Pioneering (FSV, AGCT) BeyondGenomics, CodonDevices, Helicos, LS9, Joule, Pronutria, Seres, Editas
Fidelity Management and Research Company Editas, Intellia, Twist
F-Prime Capital Partners Nebula
Fenbushi Capital Nebula
Google Ventures 23andme, Editas
Great Point Ventures
Greylock Partners WarpDriveBio
Hansjörg Wyss ReadCoor
Heartbeat Labs Nebula
Hemi Ventures Nebula
Hikma Ventures Nebula
Jennison Associates Editas
Khosla Ventures CodonDevices, EGenesis, LS9, Nebula
Lilly Asia Ventures ReadCoor, VeritasGenetics
Mayfield Nebula
Mirae Asset Nebula
Omega Funds Editas
Partners Innovation Fund Editas
Polaris Partners Arivale, Editas
T. Rowe Price Editas, PacBio
Third Rock Ventures WarpDrive, Editas
Trustbridge Partners VeritasGenetics
Uprising EGenesis
Viking Global Investors Editas, Ginkgo
Vivo Capital ReadCoor
Windham Venture Partners Nebula

Consulting and/or seminar (for companies not listed above)
Amgen
Archer Daniels Midland
Astellas
Blueprint Medicines
Casdin Capital
Cray Computer
CRISPR Tx
Driscoll’s
DuPont
Founders Fund
Genentech
Intel
Le Laboratoire
Merck
Microsoft
Millennium Pharmaceuticals (now Takeda Oncology)
MPM Capital
Novartis
Pfizer
Seven Bridges
SpaceX
Vertex Pharmaceuticals