Rob Lutts introduced our speaker, Gary Magnent.  Rob said that Gary was involved in an industry within the medical field that is developing and changing quickly and eclipsing the pharmaceutical industry.

 

Currently, Gary is President and CEO of Sage Scientific in Beverly, and has run other bio-equipment companies in the past.  He has an undergraduate degree in Biology and a Master's degree in Microbiology.

 

Gary defined his speech in three parts:  The Science, The Tools, The Future.

 

The human body is a complex organism with 100 trillion cells and home to 1000 trillion microbes!  A typical human cell is made up of several subparts such as a cell nucleus and plasma membrane.  Each cell consists of 100 trillion atoms and billions of molecules.  These include those "bases" that comprise DNA which is the blueprint for protein production, resulting in molecules that make body parts, enzymes, hormones, and all protein substances in the body.

 

Most of what we are is genetically encoded in our individual DNA.  A stretched out DNA molecule from one cell would be about 10 feet long with 25,000 genes combining to make up our genome, half of which comes from the mother and half from the father.

 

Sequencing DNA, or determining the exact order of the bases that make up each gene, has been the fundamental discovery of our time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gary's company, Sage Scientific, makes equipment for such DNA sequencing and other types of tests that require very sophisticated analytical computer programs, called bioinformatics, for analyzing such complex biological data.  Sequencing will allow doctors to discover if something has gone wrong with the metabolic pathway and then then treat it.  Currently, 7% of genetic diseases are treatable in such a way, and the number is continuously increasing.  Applications include areas such as cancer, health monitoring, and rapid forensic testing.

 

The North Shore is an exciting area because of companies working in this field.  TriBiotica can sequence cancer cells and develop an injection that will instruct the immune system to kill just the cancer cells, eventually doing away with chemotherapy.  Illumina is on the forefront of health monitoring equipment based upon sequencing.  Net Bio has developed rapid genetic testing for forensic investigations.  Such information can tie into family members in the database if the individual isn't in it already.  Parabase Genomics has developed techniques for testing children in the emergency room for genetic diseases.  Techniques to allow humans to digest previously indigestible plants are developing in order to adjust top climate change and changes in food availability.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gary sees this DNA sequencing ability as humans best way to adapt and change to our environment.  We should expect routine genetic testing to monitor overall health and to personalize medical cures soon.  Thus, we should have longer, healthier lifespans and a decrease in healthcare costs.