"It seems like every time a new gene therapy comes out they reset the record for “most expensive drug of all time”. At this rate by 2030 we’ll have a $10MM dollar injection no one can afford. Something has to give to make this tech actually helpful to regular people."~ David Ishee

David Ishee is a dog breeder and biohacker from Mississippi whose goal is to make genetic engineering accessible to everyone. He learned genetic engineering to cure genetic diseases in dogs and be a better dog breeder. He's also working to share the knowledge and skills he'd acquired to teach people how to use these technologies on a budget, in a small space, and without a degree.

Ishee, a member of what’s called the “biohacker” movement, says he is hoping to use inexpensive new gene-editing techniques to modify the genes of Dalmatians. By repairing a single DNA letter in their genomes, Ishee believes, he can rid them of an inherited disease, hyperuricemia, that's almost as closely associated with the breed as their white coats and black spots.

David has gained a lot of media attention from his recent appearance in the Netflix documentary - "Unnatural Selection", where he shares his journey in attempting to create green fluorescent mastiff puppies by adding Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP)-expressing E. coli to dog sperm. He has received mixed responses from such a controversial take on gene editing.

Join in as we discuss:

- How CRISPR works

- Potential side effects such as Cancer

- Challenges during dog gene editing

- Curing genetic diseases

- Ethics around home gene editing

- Gene Drive & more...

EPISODE LINKS:

David Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidIshee7

David Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/david._ishee/