Wings of Change

The History of Bioengineering

Super excited to introduce Ajay, who has joined BioCompute as our first ever genomics engineer. He is also the first full-time, in-person team member to join me at the BioCompute HQ in CCAMP, Bangalore. 

Image Description: Anagha and Ajay try to pose for a photo xD

With a bachelors in bioengineering from SASTRA University, hands-on experience as a research assistant in molecular biology and genomics at the University of Texas Austin, a brief stint at an early stage assistive-tech startup, and more importantly a penchant for crazy ideas and the spirit to drive these ideas from 0 to 1 - Ajay is the perfect fit to lead our proof of concept experiments on the genomics front. 

In addition to being a genomics engineer, Ajay loves playing basketball and the guitar, reading science fiction like the Three Body Problem and debating philosophical questions. In this edition of the newsletter, he writes about the intrinsic link between chaos theory and engineering biology. Over to him.
                                                   

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At some point in our lives, most of us have thought about how a certain incident led us to be who we are today. Modern philosophers like to call this an effect of the butterfly effect - that the world is deeply interconnected, such that one small occurrence can influence a much larger complex system. The effect is named after an allegory for chaos theory. It stems from the idea that a tiny butterfly flapping its wings could, hypothetically, cause a typhoon. 

I find this concept confusing because defining a 'small' event or change is hard. The possible consequences of the event are certainly not small, so are we referring to the magnitude or the intensity of the event itself? If so, does slightly changing the environment of a stem cell culture or inducing a small mutation in a cell's DNA fall under this definition of butterfly effect? Does making a small biological change that may or may not cause multiple consequent reactions fall under this category? These questions led me to write this article. 

At some level, the existence of every single being, right from a single cell to the mighty blue whale, shapes the way the world works. As a species, we humans always try to predict and then control the nature of the universe. This has led to groundbreaking discoveries and inventions. 

Humans have a long history of engineering biology, dating back to ancient agricultural practices. Early farmers selectively bred plants to enhance desirable traits, such as higher yields or better disease resistance. This rudimentary form of genetic manipulation laid the groundwork for more advanced techniques. Similarly, livestock such as cattle, pigs, and sheep were bred for specific traits, improving not only their size but also their utility for labor and food production.

Another significant example is fermentation, a process dating back thousands of years, illustrating our manipulation of microbial life for beneficial outcomes. Ancient Egyptians brewed beer and fermented bread, while cultures around the world have developed techniques for producing yogurt, cheese, and sauerkraut. 

Fermentation in ancient Egypt, courtesy of the Egypt Museum

Additionally, the practice of grafting, where the tissues of different plants are joined together to create a new variant, dates back to ancient civilizations and has been used to produce hardier fruit trees and improve crop resilience. 

As our understanding of biology deepened, so did our ability to influence it. We've continuously pushed the boundaries of what is biologically possible. Every major step in engineering biology was driven by our desire to solve problems and improve our quality of life.

DNA editing represents a natural progression in this ongoing journey of engineering biology. Our understanding and control over DNA has changed dramatically since its discovery in the 1860s. Initially, we knew DNA as something inside the nucleus (coined nuclien by Friedrich Miescher) which probably had something to do with hereditary traits. It was only after the double-helix structure was proposed in the 1960s that we were able to confirm the exact method of replication of genetic information. From then on, our understanding and control over DNA has grown unfathomably.

With the advent of advanced technologies like CRISPR-Cas9, we can now make precise modifications to the genetic code, offering unprecedented control over biological processes. This leap forward is not just a continuation of past efforts but also opens up new possibilities for medicine, agriculture, and beyond. 

We even have scientists exploring the creation of entirely synthetic DNA sequences and organisms with engineered genetic codes. We also have researchers (including myself) trying to use DNA for uses that are not deemed conventionally biological, such as digital data storage.  As we refine our ability to edit DNA, we're once again evolving our methods to harness the power of biology in ways that were once unimaginable.

When we talk about genetic engineering, it is interesting that we are trying to control and make nano-scale changes to a tiny molecule, which impacts generations of an organism. In the grand scheme of things, the early humans who manipulated crop growth or fermentation, to some level, have caused a butterfly effect, leading us to where we are today. And we are a part of the butterfly effect that will shape the future of biological systems.