Is biohacking a crime? Who came up with the latest CRISPR trick? And did Rage Against the Machine sell out?
We discuss all that and more on the latest episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. First, we talk to biohacker Josiah Zayner, perhaps best known for CRISPR’ing himself onstage, about his experience with regulators investigating whether his work amounts to practicing medicine without a license. Then, STAT senior science writer Sharon Begley joins us to explain the twists and turns of the most recent breakthrough in genome editing, one that could offer a preview of the next patent dispute. Finally, we bring Zayner back to resuscitate the lightning round, subjecting him to rapid-fire questions about science, music, and selling out.
For more on what we cover, here’s more on Zayner’s case and here’s the latest on CRISPR.
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I’m really sad to see Josiah Zayner got invited to the podcast and talked about his baseless view of biotechnology. His comment on He Jiankui being a hero is outrageous. While I understand STAT News had many good evidence-based reporting on this matter, I was expecting some disclaimers included in the episode so people new to the podcast would not be misled.