< Previous2 /9 9 /10 6 TRL /9 C ONTAGIOUS VACCINES, which are in the Prototype Stage, is the field of research trying to find new ways to rapidly boost the herd immunity of populations to disease. Recently there have been a number of breakthroughs in this field, some of which have been practical and others theoretical. While researchers have managed to create self-spreading vaccines using recombinant viruses that target the Ebola and Lassa viruses most research groups are now working on developing patent-pending genetic safeguards that allow them to control the number of times the vaccine can multiply - thereby limiting its lifetime. Meanwhile, on the theoretical side of things algorithmic models have shown that contagious vaccines could reduce Lassa viruses by 95% in rodents in less than a year. DEFINITION Contagious Vaccines are vaccines capable of replicating in a hosts body and spreading to others without active intervention. EXAMPLE USE CASES While there’s little doubt Contagious Vaccines could put a quick end to epidemics and pandemics due to concerns about biosecurity, ethics, informed consent, and regulation, it’s unlikely that they will ever be used in human populations. However, that said one of their primary use cases could be to control damaging livestock disease outbreaks - many of which like Bird Flu and Swine Flu are on the rise. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade we will continue to see interest in this field accelerate albeit from a very low base, predominantly led by the Healthcare sector, and government grants. While the idea of contagious vaccines is very attractive, especially when it comes to their ability to quickly contain and quash disease outbreaks, unsurprisingly the biggest hurdle to bringing them to market is due to understandable regulator nervousness, the lack of guarantees about their spread and the risk of bio-contagion, and the seemingly unsurmountable ethical hurdles. That said though the research continues, but without meaningful real world trials and stakeholder engagement it may well be consigned to stay in the shadows. While Contagious Vaccines are still in the Prototype Stage they could be enhanced by advances in AI, CRISPR Gene Editing, Genetic Firewalls and Kill Switches, and other technologies, however over the long term it’s unclear what it could be superceded by. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, and re-visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 4 4 2 7 7 2 1 9 1956 1971 1990 2038 >2075 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT CONTAGIOUS VACCINES STARBURST APPEARANCES: NONE 140311institute.com MRL EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. , 20206 /9 10 9 TRL /9 M CRISPR GENE EDITING, a GENERAL PURPOSE TECHNOLOGY, which is still largely in the Prototype Stage and early Productised Stage, is one of the most powerful and revolutionary gene editing technologies to emerge in the history of the field. As a result over the past few years there has been a literal frenzy of interest and development in the space with new CRISPR Cas-9 and Cas-3 developments that have made the tool even more powerful and easy to use. As interest and investment in all Biotech fields continues to surge, and as we continue to see the early signs of significant advances across the 3D Bio- Printing, Bio-Manufacturing, In Vivo Gene Therapy and Stem Cell Technology fields it is clear that the technology will be potentially one of the most transformitive of our time, on a par with Artificial Intelligence. DEFINITION CRISP Gene Editing is the manipulation of the genetic material of a living organism by deleting, replacing, or inserting a DNA sequence. EXAMPLE USE CASES In short any use case that in some way involves, or relies on DNA is a potential target for this technology. Today the technology has already been used to create the world’s first Cancer Vaccines and perform the world’s first human In Vivo Gene Therapy to reverse inherited genetic disorders, as well as create the first designer babies and the first Biological and DNA computing platforms. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade research in the space will continue to accelerate, and investment and interest in the space will continue to grow at a significantly accelerating rate. However, the continued productisation of the technology, along with the products and treatments that is will be used to create, will all continue to be heavily impacted, and inevitably slowed down, by the need for trials and subsequent regulatory approvals. While CRISPR Gene Editing is still largely in the Prototype Stage and early Productisation Stage, over the long term there are still no viable, alternative technologies to replace it. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term, I urgently suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, and establish a point of view. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 4 2 2 7 8 6 4 8 1965 2012 2014 2018 2032 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT CRISPR GENE EDITING STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘19, ‘20, ‘21, ‘22, ‘23, ‘24 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 141311institute.com MRL7 /9 3 /10 7 TRL /9 C RYOGENICS, which is still largely in the Prototype Stage and very early Productisation Stage, is a science fiction staple. Over recent years advances in the field have been slow but sure as researchers try to piece by piece crack the puzzle of how to freeze and then re-animate living tissues and animals, with an obvious view on one day offering end to end human Cryogenics services rather than the narrow range of freeze only services that they offer today. While investment and interest in the sector grows, but remains marginal still, the eventual hope is that the technology will one day be mature enough to offer consumers a way to “survive death.” DEFINITION Cryogenics offers the people with degeneritive or terminal conditions the chance to freeze their body in the hopes of coming back to life in the future. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are using Cryogenics primarily as a way to freeze and store small tissue samples, and experiments on dogs and small animals, and scientists ability to re-animate them after freezing, have been at best questionable. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the course of the next decade research in the space will conitnue, with investment and interest growing at a slow to moderate pace. However, while prorgress in the field is slow the research has longevity, and there will always be a market for people wanting to find ways to cheat death. While Cryogenics is still largely in the Prototype Stage and very early Productisation Stage, over the long term there will be numerous ways to cheat death. These include Cloning people who have died and re-uploading their past experiences using Memory Uploading technologies, new life extending healthcare technologies, as discussed in this Codex, as well as the ability for potential consumers to transfer their living memories into robots and immortal digital Avatars of themselves that persist through the ages. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, and re-visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 4 4 2 7 7 4 6 7 1956 1981 1993 1997 2042 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘20, ‘21 CRYOGENICS EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 142311institute.com MRL1 /9 7 /10 4 TRL /9 E LECTROGENETICS, which is in the Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with trying to activate, alter, and manipulate genes and gene expression using electrical stimuli. A phenomenon first observed in the wild with Electric Eels, whose zaps altered the genetic makeup of the animals they shared their environment with, recently we’ve seen breakthroughs in this field that include the use of electro-stimulation devices to activate human genes implanted in mice subjects that then went on to produce insulin. And, as sci-fi as this particular technology sounds this first proof of concept could open the door to a whole new chapter in human medicine. DEFINITION Electrogenetics is the activation, alteration, and manipulation of genes using electrical stimulii. EXAMPLE USE CASES The ability to activate, alter, and manipulate the genes of living organisms with nothing more than a cleverly planned zap from an electro-stimulation device could open up new ways to treat disease, new ways to activate faulty or supressed genes, and will open up a literal Pandora’s Box of opportunities. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade we will continue to see interest and investment in Electrogenetics increase, albeit form a very low base, primarily led by university grants. As a technology this one is intriguing, not only for the fact that it’s possible and exists, but also because over the longer term one day we might be able to control human gene expression with nothing more than a smart watch and an app on our smartphones. While this technology will undoubtedly face many ethical and regulatory challenges at the moment it holds a lot of future promise and potential. While Electrogenetics is still in the Prototype Stage it could be enhanced by advances in Artificial Intelligence, Bio- Electronic Medicine, CRISPR, Materials, Sensors, Synthetic Biology, and other technologies, however over the long term, although these solutions are less elegant, it could be replaced by alternative genetic technologies such as CRISPR, and Inhalable RNA Therapies to name but two. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, establish a point of view, and re- visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 2 7 2 7 7 1 1 7 1971 1977 2023 2055 > 2075 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT ELECTROGENETICS STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘24 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 143311institute.com MRL6 /9 10 9 TRL /9 G ENE DRIVES, which are in the Productisation Stage, are the field of research concerned with developing new ways to pass down genetic modifications, made using gene editing tools such as CAST and CRISPR, to future generations. Recent breakthroughs in the space mean that this technology has now been dubbed the “Extinction Gene” and the most powerful Bio-Weapon in the world according to the United Nations after researchers demonstrated how it could, on the one hand be used with gene editing tools to eliminate genetically inherited diseases from future generations of designer children, and then on the other hand demonstrated in the wild how it can be used to eliminate entire species including mice, mosquitos, and rats. DEFINITION Gene Drives are a genetic engineering technology that makes sure specific genes propogate throughout an entire population and are transmitted to all future offspring. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are combining gene editing tools and gene drives to create designer babies who are not born with their parents inherited genetic conditions, and who don’t pass those conditions down to their future descendents, we are also using the technology to eliminate invasive species. In the future the primary use of this technology will be in the healthcare space where it will be used as a tool to create designer humans, for a range of purposes, but it has major implications for any sector or product that has a genetic component to it, from Biological Computing and Biological Electronics through to Bio-Manufacturing and Synthetic Biology. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade interest in the field will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow, primarily led by organisations in the Healthcare sector. As the technology matures it will face increasing regulatory scrutiny and ethical oversight issues, however, while those would normally be enough to slow the development of a technology down I do not expect that to be the case here. While Gene Drives are in the Productisation Stage, over the long term they will be enhanced by advances in CAST, CRISPR, Semi-Synthetic Cells, Stem Cells, Synthetic Cells, Synthetic Biology, Synthetic DNA, but at this point in time it is not clear what they will be replaced by. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, establish a point of view, experiment with it, and forecast out the potential implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 4 5 2 8 7 2 4 9 1988 1995 2017 2019 2037 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT GENE DRIVES STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘20, ‘21, ‘22 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 144311institute.com MRL3 /9 7 /10 3 TRL /9 G ENETIC FIREWALLS, which is in the early Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with trying to find new ways to prevent the transfer of genetic material between non genetically modified and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) of all kinds. Recently there have been a few, but not many, breakthroughs in this space including the development of genetic firewalls in genetically engineered bacteria that made them immune to all pathogens on Earth. As synthetic biologists push the envelope of what’s possible though and create new GMO’s and Synthetic Organisms that are used across sectors, the ability to prevent genetic cross contamination between organisms becomes increasingly important - especially as today we are moving from GMO’s in farmers fields and in biomanufacturing facilities to GMO’s that biomanufacture medicines within the human body. As a result, any failure to create effective genetic firewalls could have untold consequences. DEFINITION Genetic Firewalls are designed to massively reduce or completely block any or all horizontal gene transfers between organisms. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today despite best efforts most Genetic Firewalls end up being compromised by the horizontal gene transfer between different hosts because as one movie in particular says “Nature always finds a way.” While the technology aims to protect GMO’s of all kinds from outside interference its main use cases include being used to prevent lab made GMO’s from sharing new genetic traits with wild non-GMO’s, as well as preventing bacteria used in the in vivo biomanufacturing of medicines within the human body from being compromised, and many other examples. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade we will continue to see interest in the field accelerate, albeit from a low base, led predominantly by the agricultural, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors. That said though it’s capabilities will remain far behind those of the tools and research used to create the GMO’s in the first place as regulators also increasingly act as a brake to both. While Genetic Firewalls are still in the early Prototype Stage it could be enhanced by advances in AI, CRISPR Gene Editing, Synthetic Biology, and other technologies, however over the long term it’s unclear what it could be replaced by. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, establish a point of view, experiment with it, and forecast out the potential implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 3 3 2 5 9 3 2 6 1972 1984 2021 2037 2042 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT GENETIC FIREWALLS STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘23 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 145311institute.com MRL3 /9 8 /10 3 TRL /9 G ENETIC KILL SWITCHES, which are still in the early Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with developing new methods to terminate Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), as well as Synthetic Organisms, on demand when certain criteria are met or when they are subjected to certain stimulii. This field is increasingly crucial as synthetic biologists continue to create GMOs and other non- natural organisms that posess traits and capabilities that could be dangerous in certain environments or situations. Recently breakthroughs include the development of genetically modified microbes that, enabled by genetic circuits that have been designed to sense environmental conditions and respond to them, self-destruct when the temperature around them reaches a particular threshold or when they come into contact with specific chemicals. DEFINITION Genetic Kill Switches are genetically engineered systems within organisms that result in cell death under certain conditions. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today most use cases center around preventing GMOs with traits that would be detrimental or harmful to other organsisms or ecosystems from replicating or transfering modified genes with other organisms. One example would be to to prevent GMOs altering human cells and destroying society as we know it, while others include the use of this technology to prevent genetically modified mosquitos from transferring infertility genes to other insects, and so on. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade we will continue to see interest in this field accelerate, albeit from a low base, led predominantly by the agricultural, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors. However, as the development of GMOs accelerates this field of research is far far behind where it should be, and regulators so far haven’t developed any mandates to protect society from the uninetnded consequences of increasingly powerful and capable GMOs. While Genetic Kill Switches are still in the early Prototype Stage it could be enhanced by advances in AI, Biological Computing and Electronics, CRISPR Gene Editing, Genetic Firewalls, Quantum Computing, and other technologies, however over the long term it’s unclear what it could be replaced by. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, establish a point of view, experiment with it, and forecast out the potential implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 3 3 2 6 9 4 2 7 1978 1986 2022 2034 2039 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT GENETIC KILL SWITCHES STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘23 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 146311institute.com MRL6 /9 2 /10 9 TRL /9 H IGH RESOLUTION FMRI, which is now in the Productisation Stage, is an under estimated and powerful technology that is playing a key role in helping researchers unlock the secrets of the human brain by analysing the minute changes in blood flow in the human brain in response to specific stimulii and thoughts. While the technology itself is powerful it is the information it produces, when combined with other technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence and Brain Machine Interfaces, which make it invaluable. DEFINITION High Resolution Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a neuroimaging procedure that uses MRI technology to measure brain activity by detecting changes associated with blood flow. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are using High Resolution fMRI to scan, monitor and analyse the patterns of brain activity in people. While the technology itself is interesting the real magic happens when the outputs are combined with Artificial Intelligence, Brain Machine Interfaces, and Neuroscience, which then give us the power to read people’s minds, and live stream their thoughts, from images and movies, to words and sentences, to an array of devices including televisions and the even the internet. Other current use cases also include helping ALS and Locked In patients communicate with loved ones, helping police departments re-construct photo fits, and the development of new neural machine interfaces. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the course of the next decade this technology will continue to be refined, improved, and miniaturised, with its resolution being improved by orders of magnitude. As a result this will provide researchers with increasingly detailed and granular information on the inner workings of the human brain which in turn will let them create more accurate brain maps and simulations, and help them further unlock the mysterys of the human brain. While High Resolution fMRI is now in the Productisation Stage at the moment it is not clear what technologies could replace it. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, establish a point of view, and forecast out the potential implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 7 5 2 8 7 3 6 8 1997 2008 2011 2016 2028 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT HIGH RESOLUTION FMRI STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘17, ‘18, ‘19 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 147311institute.com MRL3 /9 8 /10 4 TRL /9 H UMAN HYBRID IMMUNE SYSTEMS, which is in the early Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with trying to create non-natural human immune systems that can essentially be “programmed” and embued with new super human capabilities to identify, monitor, and treat disease. Recently there have been a few major breakthroughs in this field including the combining together of CAR-T Cell Therapy treatments with CRISPR Gene Editing to create hybrid human immune systems whose T-Cells were were able to independently identify and destroy specific types of tumors within patients with complete accuracy. DEFINITION Human Hybrid Immune Systems are technologically enhanced immune systems that have natural, non-natural, and superhuman-like abilities to fight disease. EXAMPLE USE CASES We have all seen how fragile the human immune system really is and despite sci-fi-like technological advances we all saw how during the global pandemic the mutating COVID-19 virus was able to kill more than 10 Million people and infect hundreds of millions more, even with new vaccines. As a result in the long run the primary use case for this technology is to use it to augment everyones immune system with new capabilities and give them the ability to independently identify new and existing diseases on demand and neutralise them before they cause harm. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade we will continue to see interest in this field accelerate, predominantly led by the healthcare sector and government grants. While this technology is proving incredibly powerful its development is likely to be slowed down by regulators concerns and the difficulty associated with running actual human tests to assess the medium and long term risks. That said though creating human immune systems that could mean the end of disease and sickness surely makes this one of the most attractive technologies I track. While Human Hybrid Immune Systems are still in the early Prototype Stage it could be enhanced by advances in AI, Biological Computing and Electronics, CAR-T Cell Therapy, CRISPR Gene Editing, Quantum Computing, Synthetic Biology, and other technologies, however over the long term it’s unclear what it could be replaced by. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, establish a point of view, and re- visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 2 3 2 7 9 4 2 8 1973 1979 2022 2035 2042 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT HUMAN HYBRID IMMUNE SYSTEMS STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘23, ‘24 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 148311institute.com MRL3 /9 9 /10 8 TRL /9 I N VIVO GENE THERAPY, which is still largely in the Prototype Stage and very early Productisation Stage, is the almost science fiction like capability of using technology to edit people’s genomes in real time to treat, reverse, and cure disease and inherited disorders, and one day to enhance their mental and physical capabiities. Over the past number of years there has been significant progress in the Gene Editing field with the emergence of powerful new technologies such as CRISPR, that when combined with other novel tools and techniques, is increasingly allowing researchers to do the impossible. DEFINITION In Vivo Gene Therapy eliminates the need for drugs or surgery by using genetic therapies to treat, reverse and cure disease and inherited disorders. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are using In Vivo Gene therapy to edit the genomes of patients with life threatening inherited genetic disorders like Hunters Syndrome and cure them. Over time other use cases will involve using the technology to edit the live genomes of any organism, or product, from Bio-Materials to Biological and DNA Computers, that has a biological component. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the course of the next decade research in the field will continue to accelerate, and investment and interest will continue to grow at an accelerating rate. However, the eventual wide spread adoption and use of the technology, like all genetic technologies, will continue to be heavily impacted, and inevitably slowed down, by the need for trials and subsequent regulatory approvals. While In Vivo Gene Therapy is still largely in the Prototype Stage and very early Productisation Stage, at the moment the concept itself does not look like it will be replaced. However, the tools and techniques we use to perform these operations and treatments will change to include the increased use of Semi-Synthetic Cells and Synthetic Cells, Stem Cell Technology, and more accurate and predictable CRISPR Gene Editing technology. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, establish a point of view, and forecast out the potential implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 2 2 1 6 9 5 2 8 1965 2008 2017 2026 2042 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘18, ‘19, ‘20, ‘21, ‘24 IN VIVO GENE THERAPY EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 149311institute.com MRLNext >