Andrew Hessel

Location
United States
Areas of Expertise
Biotechnology
Governance

Expert Bio

Andrew Hessel is a pioneering synthetic biologist, futurist, microbiologist, and geneticist widely recognized as a transformative force in genomics and human health. As President of Humane Genomics, an early-stage biotech company, he leads the development of synthetic viruses designed to advance both animal and human health. He is the co-founder and chairman of the Center of Excellence for Engineering Biology and the Genome Project-write, the landmark international scientific initiative dedicated to engineering large-scale genomes, including the human genome. A former Distinguished Research Scientist at Autodesk Life Sciences, Hessel is also the co-author of The Genesis Machine: Our Quest to Rewrite Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology, and a proponent of open-source biology. His life's work is driven by a singular mission: to help humanity better understand and harness living systems to address its most pressing challenges.

Sessions

Biology Raw & Uncensored

This workshop will explore our possible biological futures, both good and bad, no holds barred. Life is the only thing we all have in common and it's the only technology that many people still attribute to the gods. We didn't make life. It made us. And if we aren't careful, it could be what ends us, too, in a great filter existential crisis Fermi paradox kind of way.

This workshop will not provide answers. It will only generate more questions. It will start late and will end when the last person taps out or the sun rises. Absolutely no recording devices of any kind will be permitted.

Attending the presentation THE FUTURE OF LIFE ON EARTH AND BEYOND or HUMAN GENOME EDITING, GENOME SYNTHESIS, AND CLONING is a recommended prerequisite.

Human Genome Editing, Genome Synthesis, and Cloning

This 75 minute presentation and discussion will provide participants with an in-depth understanding of the science, technology, and ethics behind one of the most controversial topics in genetics: turning the powerful tools of genetic engineering on ourselves and our children.

Human reproduction changed forever in July 1978 with the birth of Louise Brown, the first so-called "test tube" baby. Today, because of IVF and other reproductive technologies, millions of children exist that otherwise would not have been born. The continued digitization of biology is bringing new, even more powerful capabilities online, including the ability to deeply profile and edit the genomes of embryos. The path forward – and its implications for parents, children, and society – remains murky but will likely clarify with more time and experience.

Suitable for all participants interested in the latest developments in genetic engineering, but especially scientists, medical professionals, and policymakers, this session will deliver an understanding of the historical landmarks of assisted reproduction technologies. The discussion will then move on to the latest breakthroughs in genome editing, genome synthesis, and cloning, and their potential impact on human health and society. It will also provide insights into the future of human genetic engineering and the challenges of regulating new technologies that are advancing at a rapid pace.

Participants will leave well-prepared to explore these cutting-edge technologies further and perhaps one day apply them to their own reproductive and longevity strategies.

The Future of Life on Earth and Beyond

This 90 minute presentation and discussion will help participants understand the foundational changes happening in life science as biology digitizes and transforms into an engineering-based discipline.

Life is the first exponential technology and it touches every person, organization, and enterprise everywhere on planet Earth even more than computing. Despite this, it is mysterious and poorly understood because it wasn't created by people. For centuries, researchers have classified living organisms and disassembled them down to their nanoscale molecular structures. Now we are shifting from reverse engineering to forward engineering and starting to program living systems from scratch. This transition is only possible because of digital technologies -- AI-based software tools, massive datasets, and robotic technologies.

Participants will gain insights into the wide-ranging applications being developed, the factors limiting the pace of development, and future trends. They'll learn that humanity is entering new evolutionary territory and that the era of natural selection has ended, at least for our species. The talk will be followed by about 30 minutes of discussion.

This presentation will help everyone from students to executives appreciate the scale of opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in the coming decades and to explore ways to benefit from or act on this knowledge. Warning: this program may lead to the changing of careers or programs of study, the investment in or the of new companies, and the re-examination of core belief systems.

The Age of Programming Life.

This session explores the revolutionary shift towards digitizing molecular cell biology and genetics. This transformation turns the fundamental processes of life into programmable systems, much like software. Advances in synthetic biology, cell biology, and AI now allow us to read, write, and edit DNA with precision, treating genetic material as a form of source code. This talk delves into the implications of these technologies, from creating custom organisms to pioneering personalized medicine to engineering ourselves. In this new era, we envision unprecedented opportunities in health, agriculture, space exploration and beyond. This convergence of biology and technology marks the dawn of a new age, where life itself becomes a programmable asset.

Expert Bio

Sessions

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