Forbes Under 30 Summit: How Biology Reinvents The Way We Understand Disease

The next big discovery in biology is going to transform your life forever.

Five scientists gathered on stage at the Forbes Under 30 Summit to discuss the latest trend in biology and how it will change the way we understand disease, genetics and medicine. Over the last few decades, scientists have made tremendous progress in tackling some of the most difficult problems in biology, from deciphering human genomes to reengineering cells. But making the next major discovery will require experts from different fields to collaborate and learn from each others expertise, panelists said.

The major boundary to advance medicine is that all these fields are quite separate from each other, says Adam de la Zerda, a quantum-physicist-turned-chemist and an associate professor at Stanford University. You need the boundaries across different industries to disappear.

Matt Herper, Forbes Moderator; Mitchell Guttman, Assistant Professor, Caltech; Cigall Kadoch, Assistant Professor, Dana Farber Cancer Institute; Paige Cramer, Associate Principal Scientist, Merck, Sharp & Dohme; Adam de la Zerda, Assistant Professor, Stanford; Reshma Shetty, Founder, Gingko BioWorks

Other panelists see similar problems in todays biology and medicine research. To Cigall Kadoch, an assistant professor at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the advancement of technology and tools used in biology research is crucial. In some of our research, you need tools from 1970s to make discoveries in the 21st century today, she says.

The interdisciplinary collaboration matters not just in basic science research, but also in the medicine industry. It takes the entire spectrum of scientists to solve the problems, says Paige Cramer, an associate principal scientist at Merck Merck, Sharp Sharp & Dohme. A former Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Cramer made a key discovery related to Alzheimers while at grad school. As scientists, you put your best work forward.

As technology develops rapidly in the field of biology, entrepreneurs and scientists need to think ahead. Building a long-term business is quite challenging, says Reshma Shetty, founder of Gingko BioWorks.You dont just think about the technology available today, but the kind of technology that would be 10 times better in the future.

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Forbes Under 30 Summit: How Biology Reinvents The Way We Understand Disease