Biotechnology and the Challenge of Biological Networks

The interviewer asks whether biotechnology is entering a period of rapid change, moving from understanding biological systems toward intervening in them. The speaker expects multiple technologies to converge, but this is a forecast rather than a demonstrated timetable.

The speaker is excited by the possibility of editing or modifying biology to address health problems. Greater ability to intervene does not itself establish that a particular treatment is safe or effective.

The speaker usually thinks in terms of molecular interactions, but says those interactions can also be studied as networks that contribute to an organism’s traits and states.

Some biological states are associated with disease. The speaker argues that understanding how to modify interaction networks is an important area for future research.