The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human ...

Though I gave this a 5-star review, It's not perfect. But for the sheer breadth and depth of information on Doudna and this topic, the book deserves full credit. Also, this book discusses complex scientific information with clarity and insight so that even an English major (word perp) can enjoy the discussion of the process and have their curiosity satisfied about gene editing, not an easy task -- but one that Isaacson does quite well. I also love the evolution of discovery that Isaacson describes, and I love that he introduces the reader to all those participating as he tells this story, Doudna's story. He also describes the brutal competition of scientists and researchers and the dynamic of collaboration in that community. But he notes the change that occurred during and after the pandemic. As a reader, I had a true sense of how all the pieces fit together after I read this book. Isaacson addresses the "elephant in the room" in detail by discussing the potential benefit and horror of gene editing for humankind. He does this in a way with provocative questions and answers that reveals a careful and methodical researcher who has a good understanding of what's at stake. He distinguishes between "treatment and enhancement" with precision. Last, I love how he inserts Doudna's actions, reactions, and dialogue into this story in which she is the lead protagonist. He does a careful job of uncovering uncomfortable issues that occurred along the way of discovery. I'm left with the impression that Jennifer Doudna is a singular ethical and brilliant research scientist who has paved and continues to pave the way for young scientists, especially young women, to change the world, even as she has. In discussing the different facets of collaboration, before and after Mar 2020, I love that he emphasizes the importance of a cross-discipline approach and how various perspectives and experiences contribute to discovery. My only two complaints (and these may seem overly critical) are that Isaacson seems to be overly accommodating to certain men in the book who had sexist tendencies or who were more rogue than research, but I think he does this to show extreme objectivity. Sometimes, though, his commentary was too opinionated and complimentary, to make up for being objective, when it was best to let the reader come to their own conclusions. I didn't need to be told how wonderful this person was even though they had just shown themselves or even though they had just said or did something unethical. The other complaint is that Isaacson describes so much about his own life and opinions that whenever I read them, I would develop a twitch. I wanted to say, "Dude, how do you give your opinion without giving your opinion?" That's Reporting 101. And he didn't really have to describe a person's physicality quite so much. Do we really need to know about someone's "chipmunk-cheeked round face"? But I forgive him and recommend this book 100%. One more thing, I love the he ends the book by describing a repaired exchange between Doudna and Charpentier. And I love that he gives full credit to Rosalind Franklin, and I love the spirit of hopefulness of what's possible for future generations that he leaves the reader with.

A biological revolution is occurring right now, one expected to be as impactful as the digital revolution. This book tells the story of that revolution and the players in it, especially Jennifer Doudna and her co-workers who discovered the breakthrough that allows CRISPR to exist and gives it the potential to fix defects in cells. Doudna was determined to be a scientist from her teen years after reading James Watson's account of discovering and mapping human DNA. After college and her doctorate, she became interested in RNA and with the help of others was able to use it to cut out defective strings in DNA and replace it with the correct sequence. She and her French partner, another woman named Emmanuelle Charpentier won the Nobel Prize for this discovery and others in the field. But all is not rosy in the CRISPR world. Although science has made breakthroughs throughout history due to collaboration and shared research, the awarding or prizes and patents has made the scientific world more capitalistic. Doudna beat out another team from Boston headed by Zheng Fang, by only a slight margin and tension between the two labs has continued for years. There are many benefits to this discovery. Genetic diseases such as sickle cell anemia and Huntington's disease, which are caused by a single gene defect now have hopes of being cured. The work can be used to increase plant production and farm productivity, making food security more of a reachable goal. Cancer is another frontier that could benefit and only yesterday I read about CRISPR making breakthroughs in ALS, a degenerative nerve disease. There are also ethical problems. One of the biggest is the decision to either work on genes that exist in a living person, which benefits that individual or using CRISPR to change inheritable DNA, which changes the entire human genome forever more. Is changing our genome something the human race is prepared to do without knowing all the repercussions it can cause? This is the field for enhancements such as greater muscle strength, appearance, and perhaps intelligence. Who would pay for this? Would it stretch the gap between poor and rich even further as the rich choose to give their children advantages poorer parents could only dream of? Walter Issacson has been a journalist for many years, working on magazines such as Time. In recent years, he has worked on biographies of scientists in breaking news fields such as Steve Jobs and Einstein and those involved in the digital revolution. He also has written works on Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin and Henry Kissinger. His work is detailed and he explains the science of the CRISPR world in a way that those not in the field can understand readily. This book is recommended for nonfiction readers.

Isaacson brings the science of gene editing to life with clarity and warmth. Complex concepts are explained in an accessible way, and he highlights the humanity of the scientists involved, touching on their rivalries and motivations but also really helping the reader get to know them. Perhaps surprisingly, it reads like a gripping story. This is a must-read. I was disappointed to reach the end. But it feels like only the beginning of genomics. This book does an excellent job of raising awareness and understanding of a hugely important technology. Yes the part of morality was a bit different from the overall story, as other reviewers have said. But it was thought provoking and these issues cannot be ignored.

Très bon livre

This is such an insightful read. I am a huge fan of Walter Isacson's work, and this is a great read. It gives an overview on CRISPR technology and its use in gene editing. It is a groundbreaking technology that has been simplified to that many complex concepts are understanable to the reader. It throws light on the ethical dilemmas that arise as a result of this technoology. It has piqued my curiosity in the biotechnology field. It is certainly one of my favourite memoirs that I have read.

Very encouraging that we have come this far but the questions discussed on it’s usage specially diminishing DIVERSITY I have no doubt that it will UNDERMINE humankind natural defense system and diminish all of us in so many ways ( creativity & resilience to begin with ) . As a person and as a scientist I LOVE JENNIFER

Um dos melhores livros biográficos que li nos últimos anos!