Life sciences the pulse of the future, expert asserts

Abu Dhabi: After a massive digital revolution, the world is now headed towards investing in life sciences, and countries that manage to understand this trend will be the ones to succeed in future years, an expert said during the final lecture in a series of talks held during Ramadan.

Addressing a gathering that included General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Dr Juan Enriquez explained that despite the financial crisis, the fields of genetic or "life" codes continued to witness rapid progress.

Understanding genetic coding and its uses has led to growth across a range of sectors including health and energy, Enriquez explained.

Changes

"Everything on earth has a gene code…As soon as you begin to understand life as code, that will generate new changes …You can copy life code now to create clones. For instance in Argentina, cells were taken from the right ear of a cow to create a clone of it. Now there are two photocopies of that exact cow," he added.

Human body parts, like teeth, bladders, and ears, are being grown in certain countries using this technology, he pointed out.

Since most of the UAE's economy depends on oil and energy, it is important for the country to invest in life sciences as well, Enriquez said, adding that the potential to recreate oil from natural substances, such as algae and corn, held out possibilities for the energy sector.

"Thousands of years ago, rivers ran through this region and there was a thick jungle in the area. When sunlight hits plants, they absorb its energy. That's why when you burn a log in the fireplace, it fuels the fire," he said.

"Oil, gas and coal are the result of old concentrated sunlight found in these old plants. The rules of biology, then, can be applied to create energy," he added.

For a country like the UAE, it was highly important to understand this technology and incorporate it, and invest in it. The future of petrochemicals was going to change as a result of global "life code investments", he said.

"I wouldn't bet against the oil industry in the next five or ten years. But it is definitely something that is going to change," he said.

"As an energy country, you are well positioned to ride this wave, but you have to start now," he added.

Dr Enriquez is recognised as the one of the world's leading authorities on the economic and political impacts of life sciences. He is also the managing director at Excel Medical Ventures, a venture capital firm which invests in companies that apply transformative life science technologies to solve problems in health care and other domains.