Neurosurgeon and stem cell biologist Mark Kotter reveals how he and his colleagues made some of the first major breakthroughs in cell therapy. Watch the Q&A here:    • Q&A: The cell programming revolution ...  

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Scientists are embarking on a biological version of the digital revolution. Until recently, controlling the mechanisms within cells—how they develop and change—was out of reach. But now biologists are finding ways to reprogramme cells at the genetic level, giving them access to the entire operating system of life.

Success is going to require collaboration across biology, computer science, physics and mathematics. The huge rewards will include extending our lifespans, curing a range of debilitating ailments and giving birth to a whole new generation of technology.

This talk took place in in collaboration with the London Institute for Mathematical Sciences and bit.bio.

Dr Mark Kotter is a doctor, scientist, and serial entrepreneur. As a neurosurgeon, he treats patients with spinal cord injury. Mark is best known for discovering the importance of macrophages for brain regeneration, which led to the first regenerative medicine trial for degenerative cervical myelopathy, and for developing opti-ox, a gene targeting approach that enables faithful execution of genetic information in cells. Applied to cellular reprogramming, opti-ox demonstrated that robust activation of a new cell type program (encoded in transcription factors) is necessary and sufficient to deterministically induce a new cellular identity. These findings challenge the theory that cell reprogramming depends on stochastically determined permissive states and enable the production of any human cell within days at purities approaching 100%.

He is the founder of bit.bio, co-founder of cultured meat startup Meatable, and co-founder and trustee of Myelopathy.org, the first charity dedicated to a common yet often overseen condition causing a 'slow motion spinal cord injury'.

This talk was recorded at the Royal Institution on 10 March 2022.
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