Andrew Hessel On Our Genomic Future

 Genomic Singularity  

Trained in microbiology and genetics, Andrew Hessel has continually worked at the forefront of genomics, first to read and comprehend bacterial, human, and other genomes and more recently to write them.

Andrew Hessel is a futurist and catalyst in biological technologies, helping industry, academics, and authorities better understand the changes ahead in life science. He is also the co-founder of the Pink Army Cooperative, the world’s first cooperative biotechnology company, which is aiming to make open source viral therapies for cancer.

Trained in microbiology and genetics, Hessel has continually worked at the forefront of genomics, first to read and comprehend bacterial, human, and other genomes and more recently to write them.

Hessel's central theory is that biology appears to be following the footsteps of the information technology (IT) industry.

Hessel believes the technology that makes this possible, called synthetic biology, is revolutionary and that it will eventually surpass information technology as an economic engine and driver of societal change. He speaks widely on topics that include cells as living computers, life science as an emerging IT industry, and biological safety and security.

Hessel is an advocate of open genetic engineering, believing that the field will increasingly resemble the software industry and give rise to open source, single purpose (app), and ‘freemium’ applications, and that it will be spearheaded by younger programmer-entrepreneurs. He is active in the iGEM and DIYbio (do-it-yourself) communities and frequently works with students and young entrepreneurs to help them be successful.

Since 2009, Andrew has also been the co-chair of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology at the Singularity University, located at the NASA Research Park in Mountain View, California. There, he educates graduate students and executive participants on the disruptive shifts underway in life science and helps them become actively engaged in these changes.

 In November, 2011, he was appointed a fellow at the University of Ottawa, Institute for Science, Society, and Policy, focusing on how next-generation technologies shape society’s future.



SOURCE  Syngenta

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