Biotech and Your Future

Biotechnology will increasingly touch everyday life:

• Genetic testing is already routine in cancer care. The drug Herceptin only works on breast cancers with the HER2-positive marker, so testing first spares patients from useless treatment and its side effects
• Gene therapies are arriving. Luxturna restores vision in a form of inherited blindness for $850,000; Zolgensma treats spinal muscular atrophy in babies for $2.1 million — among the priciest drugs ever, yet cheaper than a lifetime of care
• Lab-grown meat is real. In 2023, the USDA cleared cultivated chicken from Upside Foods and Good Meat for sale in US restaurants