1. Bioinformatics & Social Conundrums
I202 Social Informatics
Bioinformatics & Social Conundrums
Mehmet M. Dalkilic
I202 March © M.M. Dalkilic

2. Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007
“Systems biology is the science of discovering, modeling, understanding and ultimately engineering at the molecular level the dynamic relationships between the biological molecules that define living organisms”
Leroy Hood
Institute for Systems Biology
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

3. Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007
Outline
(I) A quick (another) set of definitions
(II) A set of possibilities
(III) Questions about the possibilities
(IV) Summary & Prelude to Discussion
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

4. Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007
Perspectives
"There's millions and millions of unsolved problems. Biology is so digital, and incredibly complicated, but incredibly useful. …. It is hard for me to say confidently that, after fifty more years of explosive growth of computer science, there will still be a lot of fascinating unsolved problems at peoples' fingertips, that it won't be pretty much working on refinements of well-explored things. Maybe all of the simple stuff and the really great stuff has been discovered. It may not be true, but I can't predict an unending growth. I can't be as confident about computer science as I can about biology. Biology easily has 500 years of exciting problems to work on, it's at that level." -
It is hard for me to say confidently that, after fifty more years of explosive growth of computer science, there will still be a lot of fascinating unsolved problems at peoples' fingertips, that it won't be pretty much working on refinements of well-explored things.
I can't be as confident about computer science as I can about biology. Biology easily has 500 years of exciting problems to work on, it's at that level.
Donald Knuth
(very famous CS guy)
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

5. Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007
Perspectives
Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes.
Edsger Dijkstra
(another famous CS guy)
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

6. Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

7. Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007
Life (Cenral Dogma)
Replication
Transcription
Translation
Life & Stuff
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

8. Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007
Life (Cenral Dogma)
Technology allows us to explicitly affect the outcomes and even the “Dogma” itself
Replication
ACTTCTG…
Transcription
TGU…
Translation
Life & Stuff
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

9. Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007
Life (Cenral Dogma)
Every organism has a “genome” or book of instructions
Each book is hard to decipher—most are jumbled up—so we pick passages called “genes”
All books are related through evolution, so understanding one book, allows to understand others (through genes mostly now)
Fly Book
ACTAAGAAA
ATCCTCTG
GTTC….
Human
ACTAAGAAA
ATCTTCTG
GTTC….
Fly Book
ACTAAGAAA
Aeye-colorTG
GTTC….
1 (read book)
3 (look for similar passage)
2 (decode gene)
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

10. Possibilities (obvious choices)
Choose the “phenotype” you want!
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

11. Possibilities (obvious choices)
URL:
Click “Advanced search in the UniProt Knowleabase
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

12. Possibilities (obvious choices)
URL:
Click “Advanced search in the UniProt Knowleabase
Type “obesity” in description and then click “submit query”
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

13. Possibilities (obvious choices)
4. Click on LEP_HUMAN P41159
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

14. Possibilities (obvious choices)
5. Scroll to the bottom to see the “gene” product (protein)
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

15. Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007
Possibilities
Screen population for “criminal” gene
Screen population for “healthiness”
Cure “old-age”
Create biological weapon—make enemy blind, deaf, confused, obedient
Change food to be healthier
Grow body parts, blood, stronger animals
Create machine/organic communication links to allow fast, efficient downloading of information to people
Use DNA to validate purchase
Clone wealthy, powerful, famous people
Get a dog’s sense of smell
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

16. Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007
Possibilities
Screen population for “criminal” gene
Screen population for “healthiness”
Cure “old-age”
Create biological weapon—make enemy blind, deaf, confused, obedient
Change food to be healthier
Grow body parts, blood, stronger animals
Create machine/organic communication links to allow fast, efficient downloading of information to people
Use DNA to validate purchase
Clone wealthy, powerful, famous people
Get a dog’s sense of smell
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

17. Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007
Questions
For my birthday, I’d like get
Super-Hero genes—and some for my dog too!
It seems as though technology is disinterested in the direction it takes—is this really true?
How can something (technology) that might so radically change our existence, be so little scrutinized?
Scientist often claim “science” (knowledge about our existence) is impartial. Technology and science have become inexorably intertwined—improving our knowledge and ways to affect it. Can this mix be divorced from morality, politics, ethics, and religion?
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

18. “Homework” & Discussion
Nice collection of readings
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007

19. Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007
Thanks to everyone
me if you’d like to discuss anything
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Bioinformatics © Indiana University 2007