Make People Better

Last updated
Make People Better
Directed byCody Sheehy
Written byMark Monroe
Based on He Jiankui affair
Produced byCody Sheehy, Samira Kiani, Mark Monroe
CinematographyCody Sheehy
Edited byGreg O'Toole
Music byTyler Stickland
Production
company
Rhumbline Media
Distributed byGravitas Films, Cats & Docs, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, iTunes Store, Amazon Prime Video
Release date
  • 13 December 2022 (2022-12-13)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Make People Better is a 2022 documentary film about the use of genetic engineering (called CRISPR gene editing) to enhance two twins girls to be immune to HIV. Directed by Cody Sheehy of Rhumbline Media, it was originated by Samira Kiani, a biotechnologist then at Arizona State University. [1] It focuses on the circumstances involving Chinese biologist He Jiankui who created the first genetically modified humans in 2018. Featured experts included Antonio Regalado, senior editor for biomedicine of MIT Technology Review , who first discovered and revealed the secret experiment, [2] and Benjamin Hurlbut, a bioethicist at the Arizona State University. [3]

Contents

The film was released on 13 December 2022 by Gravitas Films and Internationally by Cats & Docs. It premiered at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, [4] and simultaneously launched on iTunes Store and Amazon Prime Video. The title was taken from James Watson's reply as He asked him, "Do you think that that's [genetically modifying babies is] a good thing to do?" [5]

The Make People Better Podcast released in March of 2023. https://makepeoplebetterfilm.com/podcast/

Background

Code of the Wild: The Nature of Us

CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) gene editing is a scientific method by which DNA molecules are cut using an enzyme, CRISPR associated protein 9 (Cas9) so that specific genes can be removed or replaced. The technique, independently developed by Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, had been used to make genetically modified organisms and better genes in genetic diseases. [6] [7] Samira Kiani was a researcher on CRISPR gene editing at Arizona State University and teamed up with Cody Sheehy of the Rhumbline Media to make a documentary film on the revolutionary technique. They started a project called Code of the Wild: The Nature of Us in 2018. [8] [9]

They first approached expert in the field, George Church at Harvard University, who was popularly known as the "Founding Father of Genomics", [10] [11] and Antonio Regalado, senior editor for biomedicine of MIT Technology Review , who had been well-versed in the development of the technique. Regalado hinted them that CRISPR gene-edited babies would be born in China "very soon". They further learned from Kiani's former acquaintance Ryan Farrell who was working as a public relations specialist to He Jiankui, associate professor in the Department of Biology of the Southern University of Science and Technology(SUSTech) in Shenzhen, China, that He was running a human germline-editing experiment. They visited He for an interview but received no information on the forthcoming genetically modified babies. [12] [13]

He Jiankui affair

On 25 November 2018, Regalado posted on MIT Technology Review website that He Jiankui was making CRIPSR babies. [14] [2] As it was publicised, He was prompted to announce his experiment and posted the news of the birth of twins, nicknamed Lulu and Nana, on YouTube in five videos the same day. [15] [16] He formally presented the experiment at the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing organized at the University of Hong Kong on 28 November 2018. He explained that the experiment was to make the babies resistant to HIV infection as they were (as embryos) obtained from an HIV-positive father. [17] He specifically used a mutant gene named CCR5-Δ32 that is known to confer innate resistance to HIV. [18] [19] The twins were born in secrecy in October 2018, [20] and a third baby (revealed in 2022 as Amy [21] ) was then almost born, as He reported. [22]

Although the People's Daily announced the experimental result as "a historical breakthrough in the application of gene editing technology for disease prevention," [23] the news was met with criticisms from scientists. The Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences publicly condemned the experiment as violation of medical regulations and ethical norms. [24] A group of 122 Chinese scientists jointly issued a statement that the experiment was unethical, "crazy" and "a huge blow to the global reputation and development of Chinese science". [23] He's university, local authorities, and the Chinese government made a series of investigations, and He was found guilty of violating academic ethics and national laws on the use of human embryos. [25] On 21 January 2019, He was fired by SUSTech and all connections were terminated. [26] On 30 December 2019, the Shenzhen Nanshan District People's Court sentenced He to three years in prison and with a fine of 3 million RMB (US$430,000). [27] [28]

Participants

The film was based on the involvement of the following people: [1] [29]

Reception and review

Courtney Small on Point of View Magazine gives a positive review, remarking: "A necessary conversation starter, Make People Better is an intriguing examination of a scientist who was hung out to dry by a community who helped elevate him in the first place." [4] Liz Whittemore on Reel News Daily agrees, commenting that it "does an excellent job of putting scientific advances into perspective." [30] Chris Jones on The Atlanta Mail commented it as "an excellent film for anyone interested in" the understanding of scientific development. [31]

However, the film received mostly critical reviews. Beandrea July on The New York Times criticised the film, saying that "a glut of animations and B-roll footage makes the film's visuals feel convoluted, and a flat narrative structure further muddies the waters." She also wrote that the way Sheehy presented the story was clumsy and "deflating the films dramatic tension with so little fanfare that the information’s premature landing barely registers." [3] She also criticised the film for omitting the news that He was released (in April 2022 [32] ) while the film was being made. [3] Christopher Cross on Tilt said that the documentary is a narrow-sighted view as the case is not just for scientists, and argues that Sheehy "ignores some of the most glaring facets of a hugely impactful breakthrough. As a thriller, Make People Better is solid, but as a documentary, it's better enjoyed as a Wikipedia article." [33]

G. Owen Schaefer, a biomedical ethicist at the National University of Singapore said, "The documentary does not reflect critically on its own title. The origin of the phrase "make people better" is surprising and the film's most clever narrative moment, so I won't spoil it. But does heritable gene editing really make people better? Perhaps instead, it makes better people." [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene therapy</span> Medical field

Gene therapy is a medical technology that aims to produce a therapeutic effect through the manipulation of gene expression or through altering the biological properties of living cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Designer baby</span> Genetically modified human embryo

A designer baby is a baby whose genetic makeup has been selected or altered, often to exclude a particular gene or to remove genes associated with disease. This process usually involves analysing a wide range of human embryos to identify genes associated with particular diseases and characteristics, and selecting embryos that have the desired genetic makeup; a process known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Screening for single genes is commonly practiced, and polygenic screening is offered by a few companies. Other methods by which a baby's genetic information can be altered involve directly editing the genome before birth, which is not routinely performed and only one instance of this is known to have occurred as of 2019, where Chinese twins Lulu and Nana were edited as embryos, causing widespread criticism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genome editing</span> Type of genetic engineering

Genome editing, or genome engineering, or gene editing, is a type of genetic engineering in which DNA is inserted, deleted, modified or replaced in the genome of a living organism. Unlike early genetic engineering techniques that randomly inserts genetic material into a host genome, genome editing targets the insertions to site-specific locations. The basic mechanism involved in genetic manipulations through programmable nucleases is the recognition of target genomic loci and binding of effector DNA-binding domain (DBD), double-strand breaks (DSBs) in target DNA by the restriction endonucleases, and the repair of DSBs through homology-directed recombination (HDR) or non-homologous end joining (NHEJ).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene drive</span> Way to propagate genes throughout a population

A gene drive is a natural process and technology of genetic engineering that propagates a particular suite of genes throughout a population by altering the probability that a specific allele will be transmitted to offspring. Gene drives can arise through a variety of mechanisms. They have been proposed to provide an effective means of genetically modifying specific populations and entire species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Editas Medicine</span> Discovery-phase pharmaceutical company

Editas Medicine, Inc.,, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company which is developing therapies for rare diseases based on CRISPR gene editing technology. Editas headquarters is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has facilities in Boulder, Colorado.

Biotechnology risk is a form of existential risk from biological sources, such as genetically engineered biological agents. The release of such high-consequence pathogens could be

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jo Zayner</span> American biohacker, artist, and scientist (born 1981)

Jo Zayner is a biohacker, artist, and scientist best known for their self-experimentation and work making hands-on genetic engineering accessible to a lay audience, including CRISPR.

<i>The Gene: An Intimate History</i> Book

The Gene: An Intimate History is a book written by Siddhartha Mukherjee, an Indian-born American physician and oncologist. It was published on 17 May 2016 by Scribner. The book chronicles the history of the gene and genetic research, all the way from Aristotle to Crick, Watson and Franklin and then the 21st century scientists who mapped the human genome. The book discusses the power of genetics in determining people's well-being and traits. It delves into the personal genetic history of Siddhartha Mukherjee's family, including mental illness. However, it is also a cautionary message toward not letting genetic predispositions define a person or their fate, a mentality that the author says led to the rise of eugenics in history.

John Jin Zhang is a medical scientist who has made contributions in fertility research, and particularly in in vitro fertilization. He made headlines in September 2016 for successfully producing the world's first three-parent baby using the spindle transfer technique of mitochondrial replacement. Having obtained an M.D. from Zhejiang University School of Medicine, an M.Sc. from University of Birmingham, and a Ph.D. from University of Cambridge, he became the founder-director of New Hope Fertility Center in New York, USA.

Human germline engineering is the process by which the genome of an individual is edited in such a way that the change is heritable. This is achieved by altering the genes of the germ cells, which then mature into genetically modified eggs and sperm. For safety, ethical, and social reasons, there is broad agreement among the scientific community and the public that germline editing for reproduction is a red line that should not be crossed at this point in time. There are differing public sentiments, however, on whether it may be performed in the future depending on whether the intent would be therapeutic or non-therapeutic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua</span> Worlds first cloned primates (born 2017)

Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua are a pair of identical crab-eating macaques that were created through somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), the same cloning technique that produced Dolly the sheep in 1996. They are the first cloned primates produced by this technique. Unlike previous attempts to clone monkeys, the donated nuclei came from fetal cells, not embryonic cells. The primates were born from two independent surrogate pregnancies at the Institute of Neuroscience of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai.

Horizontal Environmental Genetic Alteration Agents (HEGAAs) are any artificially developed agents that are engineered to edit the genome of eukaryotic species they infect when intentionally dispersed into the environment (outside of contained facilities such as laboratories or hospitals).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">He Jiankui affair</span> 2018 scientific and bioethical controversy

The He Jiankui affair is a scientific and bioethical controversy concerning the use of genome editing following its first use on humans by Chinese scientist He Jiankui, who edited the genomes of human embryos in 2018. He became widely known on 26 November 2018 after he announced that he had created the first human genetically edited babies. He was listed in the Time's 100 most influential people of 2019. The affair led to ethical and legal controversies, resulting in the indictment of He and two of his collaborators, Zhang Renli and Qin Jinzhou. He eventually received widespread international condemnation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">He Jiankui</span> Chinese scientist (born 1984)

He Jiankui is a Chinese biophysicist who was an associate professor in the Department of Biology of the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Shenzhen, China. Earning his Ph.D. from Rice University in Texas on protein evolution, including that of CRISPR, He learned gene-editing techniques (CRISPR/Cas9) as a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CRISPR gene editing</span> Gene editing method

CRISPR gene editing is a genetic engineering technique in molecular biology by which the genomes of living organisms may be modified. It is based on a simplified version of the bacterial CRISPR-Cas9 antiviral defense system. By delivering the Cas9 nuclease complexed with a synthetic guide RNA (gRNA) into a cell, the cell's genome can be cut at a desired location, allowing existing genes to be removed and/or new ones added in vivo.

Samira Kiani is an Associate Professor in the department of Pathology of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Pittsburgh Liver Research Center. Formerly, she was a Health Systems Engineer at Arizona State University. Her work combines Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR) with synthetic biology. She is a 2019 AAAS Leshner Fellow.

<i>Human Nature</i> (2019 film) 2019 documentary film

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<i>Unnatural Selection</i> (TV series) 2019 TV documentary series

Unnatural Selection is a 2019 TV documentary series that presents an overview of genetic engineering and particularly, the DNA-editing technology of CRISPR, from the perspective of scientists, corporations and biohackers working from their home. It was released by Netflix on October 18, 2019.

The eradication or abolition of suffering is the concept of using biotechnology to create a permanent absence of involuntary pain and suffering in all sentient beings.

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References

  1. 1 2 Davies, Kevin (2022). "Breaking the rules". The CRISPR Journal. 5 (6): 742–745. doi:10.1089/crispr.2022.29157.kd. ISSN   2573-1602. PMID   36512350. S2CID   254662899.
  2. 1 2 Regalado, Antonio (25 November 2018). "Exclusive: Chinese scientists are creating CRISPR babies - A daring effort is under way to create the first children whose DNA has been tailored using gene editing". MIT Technology Review . Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 July, Beandrea (2022-12-14). "'Make People Better' Review: Clear Science, Confusing Storytelling". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  4. 1 2 Small, Courtney (2022-05-02). "Make People Better Review: Mad Scientist or Scientific Scapegoat?". POV Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  5. ↑ Spitznagel, Eric (2022-12-10). "How one scientist lost big trying to genetically 'enhance' unborn babies". New York Post. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  6. ↑ Ledford, Heidi; Callaway, Ewen (2020). "Pioneers of revolutionary CRISPR gene editing win chemistry Nobel". Nature. 586 (7829): 346–347. doi:10.1038/d41586-020-02765-9. ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   33028993. S2CID   222213702.
  7. ↑ Zhang, Huimin; Qin, Chunhong; An, Changming; Zheng, Xiwang; Wen, Shuxin; Chen, Wenjie; Liu, Xianfang; Lv, Zhenghua; Yang, Pingchang; Xu, Wei; Gao, Wei; Wu, Yongyan (2021-10-01). "Application of the CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing technique in basic research, diagnosis, and therapy of cancer". Molecular Cancer. 20 (1): 126. doi: 10.1186/s12943-021-01431-6 . ISSN   1476-4598. PMC   8484294 . PMID   34598686.
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  9. ↑ Molteni, Megan (2022-12-13). "'Make People Better': The CRISPR babies story you probably don't know, and how it was filmed in real-time". STAT. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  10. ↑ Huie, Stephanie (2020-04-15). "Dr. George Church, Founding Father of Genomics". Windward School . Archived from the original on 2022-09-01. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
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  12. ↑ Molteni, Megan (2022-12-13). "The CRISPR babies story you probably don't know". Techtelegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  13. ↑ Molteni, Megan (2022-12-13). "'Make People Better': The CRISPR babies story you probably don't know, and how it was filmed in real-time". STAT. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  14. ↑ Regalado, Antonio (25 November 2018). "Chinese scientists are creating CRISPR babies". MIT Technology Review.
  15. ↑ The He Lab (25 November 2018), About Lulu and Nana: Twin Girls Born Healthy After Gene Surgery As Single-Cell Embryos , retrieved 26 April 2019
  16. ↑ Dyer, Owen (2018). "Researcher who edited babies' genome retreats from view as criticism mounts". BMJ. 363: k5113. doi:10.1136/bmj.k5113. PMID   30504437. S2CID   54485094.
  17. ↑ Caplan, Arthur (2019). "Getting serious about the challenge of regulating germline gene therapy". PLOS Biology. 17 (4): e3000223. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000223 . PMC   6490874 . PMID   31039143.
  18. ↑ Belluck, Pam (28 November 2018). "Chinese Scientist Who Says He Edited Babies' Genes Defends His Work". The New York Times . Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  19. ↑ ""Menschenversuche": Geburt genmanipulierter Babys verkündet". Stern (in German). 26 November 2018.
  20. ↑ Bulluck, Pam (14 April 2019). "Gene-Edited Babies: What a Chinese Scientist Told an American Mentor". The New York Times . Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  21. ↑ Gutierrez C., Nicolas (2022-06-29). "What's next for the gene-edited children from CRISPR trial in China?". New Scientist. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  22. ↑ Begley, Sharon (28 November 2018). "Amid uproar, Chinese scientist defends creating gene-edited babies - STAT". STAT.
  23. 1 2 Li, Jing-ru; Walker, Simon; Nie, Jing-bao; Zhang, Xin-qing (2019). "Experiments that led to the first gene-edited babies: the ethical failings and the urgent need for better governance". Journal of Zhejiang University Science B. 20 (1): 32–38. doi:10.1631/jzus.B1800624. PMC   6331330 . PMID   30614228.
  24. ↑ Wang, Chen; Zhai, Xiaomei; Zhang, Xinqing; Li, Limin; Wang, Jianwei; Liu, De-Pei; Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2019-01-05). "Gene-edited babies: Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences' response and action". Lancet. 393 (10166): 25–26. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)33080-0 . ISSN   1474-547X. PMID   30522918. S2CID   54434514.
  25. ↑ Jiang, Steven; Regan, Helen; Berlinger, Joshua (29 November 2018). "China suspends scientists who claim to have produced first gene-edited babies". CNN News . Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  26. ↑ Ramzy, Austin; Wee, Sui-Lee (2019-01-21). "Scientist Who Edited Babies' Genes Is Likely to Face Charges in China". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  27. ↑ Wee, Sui-Lee (30 December 2019). "Chinese Scientist Who Genetically Edited Babies Gets 3 Years in Prison - He Jiankui's work was also carried out on a third infant, according to China's state media, in a new disclosure that is likely to add to the global uproar over such experiments". The New York Times . Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  28. ↑ Yee, Isaac; Hollingsworth, Julia (30 December 2019). "Chinese gene-editing scientist jailed for 3 years". CNN News . Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  29. 1 2 Schaefer, G. Owen (2022-12-20). "Did He Jiankui 'Make People Better'? Documentary spurs a new look at the case of the first gene-edited babies". The Conversation. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  30. ↑ Whittemore, Liz (2022-12-20). "Review: 'MAKE PEOPLE BETTER' pits science against ethics in Cody Sheehy's new docu-thriller. It's one hell of a conversation starter". Reel News Daily. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  31. ↑ Jones, Chris (2022-12-13). "Is This Our Future?". theatlantamail.com. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  32. ↑ Cohen, Jon (2022-03-21). "As creator of 'CRISPR babies' nears release from prison, where does embryo editing stand?". Science. doi: 10.1126/science.acx9233 .
  33. ↑ Cross, Christopher (2022-04-28). "Make People Better Investigates the Ethics of a Scientific Breakthrough". Tilt Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
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