Freelance Biohackers will be on the cutting edge of tomorrow’s most exciting bioscience initiatives, contributing significantly to projects like the search for the next generation of antibiotics and the creation of genetically modified wildlife.
Hank Greely, director of Stanford University’s Center for Law and the Biosciences, asserts that nearly anyone can now use the basic techniques for targeted gene manipulation. He added that it is not hard to imagine a world in which straightforward genetic modifications could easily treat everything from eye problems to liver issues to muscular dystrophy. He will wager that a young biohacker will create a unicorn in twenty years. In order to give a 12-year-old child of a billionaire a unicorn for her birthday, a biohacker will take genetic material from an animal that can grow horns and transplant it into a horse.
Freelance biohackers collaborate in hive-like teams on open source software platforms while working from home or even from one of the growing number of freelance work hubs.
They will be used by major pharmaceutical companies, academic research centers, and biotechnology firms to piece together complex DNA-based solutions to some of the fundamental problems of the diseases that will emerge in the next ten years, ranging from treatments for cancer in aging populations to vaccines for brand-new epidemics fueled by our globalized way of life and accelerating climate change.
According to Hank Campbell of the American Council on Health and Science, “These freelancers and mavericks are without a doubt the future of applied biology because big drug companies typically will not deal with difficulties they worry will not produce a big enough profit.”‘
Dr. Darren Nesbeth, an artificial biologist at UCL, predicts that biohackers will accelerate significant medical breakthroughs because, unlike experts in academic institutions, they can spend their valuable time brainstorming and engaging in creative, blue sky thinking as opposed to teaching and publishing papers.
The ability to manipulate DNA is used for more noble purposes as well. Biohackers who want to make a living from home using a laptop and cutting-edge software may use this ability to create mythical creatures for billionaire clients.
Feng Zhang, a co-inventor of the groundbreaking gene editing technology CRISPR, thinks that biohackers will enable us to save – or even bring back from extinction – species of domestic and wild animals as a growing global human population strains biodiversity through habitat damage.
Students who want to pursue a career as a biohacker in the coming decade will need a solid foundation in advanced data analytics as well as an understanding of medical and scientific methodology.
Along with perseverance, a keen eye for detail, and the ability to think outside the box, another critical personal trait is the ability to work naturally, non-competitively, and collaboratively with large virtual teams that you will never meet in person.
However, individuals outside of traditional science and medical disciplines have the freedom to play a key freelance role in important projects in a field that is likely to remain loosely regulated in order to inspire unconventional approaches and creative thinking.
Environmental scientist Todd Kuiken asserts that top bioscientists are increasingly of the opinion that a PhD is not necessary to be a scientist. He asserts that any strong mind with a scientific bent can advance science. The greater the number of brilliant minds working to find solutions to the world’s medical issues, the quicker humanity will be able to do so.
In order to address concerns about the morality and values of their work, Kuiken is confident that the growing citizen biohacking group will establish codes of conduct.
‘According to him, professional scientists typically only think about the ethical implications of their work after their investigation is complete.
‘Since the bio community is obviously collaborative and constantly debating what it is doing and why, it started organizing safety and ethical principles.’
Since they aren’t constrained by the bureaucracy of mainstream research, many people working in the first iterations of the biohacking field believe that future biohackers will hold out the best chance of game-changing scientific and technological breakthroughs.
Josiah Zayner, the scientist, biohacker, and founder of the biotech company The Odin, claims that academic and corporate researchers waste a lot of time and money filling out a million forms. Major investigations may be slowed down by this, and people are dying and suffering as a result of all the rules and committees. Future individuals like Zayner plan to declare: “We’re gonna do it anyway and start healing people since we understand we can.”‘
He asserts with confidence that, if given access to the aforementioned tools, these people will fundamentally alter the course of human history.
