ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lee Cronin - Chemist
A professor of chemistry, nanoscience and chemical complexity, Lee Cronin and his research group investigate how chemistry can revolutionize modern technology and even create life.

Why you should listen

Lee Cronin's lab at the University of Glasgow does cutting-edge research into how complex chemical systems, created from non-biological building blocks, can have real-world applications with wide impact. At TEDGlobal 2012, Cronin shared some of the lab's latest work: creating a 3D printer for molecules. This device -- which has been prototyped -- can download plans for molecules and print them, in the same way that a 3D printer creates objects. In the future, Cronin says this technology could potentially be used to print medicine -- cheaply and wherever it is needed. As Cronin says: "What Apple did for music, I'd like to do for the discovery and distribution of prescription drugs."

At TEDGlobal 2011, Cronin shared his lab's bold plan to create life. At the moment, bacteria is the minimum unit of life -- the smallest chemical unit that can undergo evolution. But in Cronin's emerging field, he's thinking about forms of life that won't be biological. To explore this, and to try to understand how life itself originated from chemicals, Cronin and others are attempting to create truly artificial life from completely non-biological chemistries that mimic the behavior of natural cells. They call these chemical cells, or Chells. 

Cronin's research interests also encompass self-assembly and self-growing structures -- the better to assemble life at nanoscale. At the University of Glasgow, this work on crystal structures is producing a raft of papers from his research group. He says: "Basically one of my longstanding research goals is to understand how life emerged on planet Earth and re-create the process."

Read the papers referenced in his TEDGlobal 2102 talk:

Integrated 3D-printed reactionware for chemical synthesis and analysis, Nature Chemistry

Configurable 3D-Printed millifluidic and microfluidic ‘lab on a chip’ reactionware devices, Lab on a Chip

More profile about the speaker
Lee Cronin | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2012

Lee Cronin: Print your own medicine

Lee Cronin: Druk je eigen medicijn af

Filmed:
1,045,687 views

Scheikundige Lee Cronin werkt aan een 3D-printer die in plaats van objecten molecules afdrukt. Een spannende mogelijke langetermijntoepassing: druk je eigen medicijn af met chemische inkt.
- Chemist
A professor of chemistry, nanoscience and chemical complexity, Lee Cronin and his research group investigate how chemistry can revolutionize modern technology and even create life. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:16
OrganicOrganische chemistschemici make moleculesmoleculen,
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Organisch scheikundigen maken moleculen,
00:19
very complicatedingewikkeld moleculesmoleculen,
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heel ingewikkelde moleculen,
00:21
by choppinghakken up a biggroot moleculemolecuul into smallklein moleculesmoleculen
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door een grote molecule
op te delen in kleine moleculen
00:24
and reverseomgekeerde engineeringbouwkunde.
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en aan 'reverse engineering' te doen.
00:26
And as a chemistscheikundige,
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Als chemicus
00:27
one of the things I wanted to askvragen my researchOnderzoek groupgroep a couplepaar of yearsjaar agogeleden is,
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vroeg ik mijn onderzoeksgroep enkele jaren geleden:
00:31
could we make a really coolkoel universaluniverseel chemistrychemie setreeks?
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zouden we een heel coole
universele scheikundeset kunnen maken?
00:35
In essenceessence, could we "appapp" chemistrychemie?
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Kunnen we de scheikunde 'app-en'?
00:40
Now what would this mean, and how would we do it?
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Wat wil dat zeggen?
Hoe zouden we dat doen?
00:43
Well to startbegin to do this,
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We begonnen met een 3D-printer
00:45
we tooknam a 3D printerprinter
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We begonnen met een 3D-printer
00:47
and we startedbegonnen to printafdrukken our beakersbekers and our testtest tubestubes on one sidekant
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en printten onze recipiënten en buisjes
aan de ene kant,
00:51
and then printafdrukken the moleculemolecuul at the samedezelfde time on the other sidekant
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en tegelijk de molecule aan de andere kant.
00:55
and combinecombineren them togethersamen in what we call reactionwarereactionware.
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We combineerden ze in zogenaamde 'reactieware'.
00:58
And so by printinghet drukken the vesselvaartuig and doing the chemistrychemie at the samedezelfde time,
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Door het recipiënt te printen
en tegelijk de chemie uit te voeren,
01:03
we maymei startbegin to accesstoegang this universaluniverseel toolkitToolkit of chemistrychemie.
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krijgen we misschien een begin
van universele scheikunde-toolkit.
01:08
Now what could this mean?
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Wat zou dat kunnen betekenen?
01:09
Well if we can embedembed biologicalbiologisch and chemicalchemisch networksnetwerken like a searchzoeken enginemotor,
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Als we biologische en chemische netwerken
kunnen inbouwen, zoals een zoekmachine,
01:15
so if you have a cellcel that's illziek that you need to curegenezen
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en je hebt een zieke cel te genezen,
01:18
or bacteriabacterie that you want to killdoden,
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of een bacterie te doden,
01:20
if you have this embeddedingebed in your deviceapparaat
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en je hebt dit in je toestel ingebouwd,
01:22
at the samedezelfde time, and you do the chemistrychemie,
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en je doet je scheikundige werk,
01:24
you maymei be ablein staat to make drugsdrugs in a newnieuwe way.
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dan kan je misschien geneesmiddelen maken
op een nieuwe manier.
01:28
So how are we doing this in the lablaboratorium?
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Hoe doen we dit in het lab?
01:30
Well it requiresvereist softwaresoftware, it requiresvereist hardwarehardware
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Met software, met hardware
01:33
and it requiresvereist chemicalchemisch inksinkten.
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en met chemische inkt.
01:36
And so the really coolkoel bitbeetje is,
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Het coolste is
01:37
the ideaidee is that we want to have a universaluniverseel setreeks of inksinkten
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het idee van een universele inktset
01:40
that we put out with the printerprinter,
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die we in de printer zetten.
01:43
and you downloaddownloaden the blueprintblauwdruk, the organicbiologisch chemistrychemie for that moleculemolecuul
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Dan kan je de blauwdruk downloaden,
de organische scheikunde voor die molecule,
01:47
and you make it in the deviceapparaat.
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en ze in het toestel maken.
01:50
And so you can make your moleculemolecuul in the printerprinter usinggebruik makend van this softwaresoftware.
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Met deze software kan je je molecule
in de printer maken.
01:55
So what could this mean?
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Wat kan dat betekenen?
01:58
Well, ultimatelytenslotte, it could mean that you could printafdrukken your owneigen medicinegeneeskunde.
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Dat je je eigen medicijn zou kunnen afdrukken.
02:03
And this is what we're doing in the lablaboratorium at the momentmoment.
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Dat is wat we momenteel in het lab doen.
02:05
But to take babybaby stepsstappen to get there,
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Maar om kleine stapjes in die richting te zetten,
02:06
first of all we want to look at drugdrug designontwerp and productionproductie,
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kijken we eerst naar medicijnontwerp en -productie,
02:09
or drugdrug discoveryontdekking and manufacturingfabricage.
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zogenaamde 'drug discovery'
('medicijnontdekking').
02:12
Because if we can manufacturevervaardiging it after we'vewij hebben discoveredontdekt it,
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Want als we het na de ontdekking kunnen maken,
02:15
we could deployimplementeren it anywhereoveral.
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kunnen we het overal installeren.
02:17
You don't need to go to the chemistscheikundige anymoremeer.
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Je moet niet meer naar de apotheek.
02:19
We can printafdrukken drugsdrugs at pointpunt of need.
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We kunnen medicijnen afdrukken waar ze nodig zijn.
02:22
We can downloaddownloaden newnieuwe diagnosticsdiagnostiek.
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We kunnen nieuwe diagnoses downloaden.
02:24
Say a newnieuwe supersuper bugkever has emergedvoortgekomen.
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Stel dat er een nieuw supervirus opduikt.
02:26
You put it in your searchzoeken enginemotor,
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Je stopt het in je zoekmachine
02:28
and you createcreëren the drugdrug to treattraktatie the threatbedreiging.
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en je maakt een medicijn om het te bestrijden.
02:31
So this allowstoestaat you on-the-flyon-the-fly molecularmoleculair assemblybijeenkomst.
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Onmiddellijk moleculair assembleren wordt mogelijk.
02:35
But perhapsmisschien for me the corekern bitbeetje going into the futuretoekomst
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Maar het centrale punt voor de toekomst
02:38
is this ideaidee of takingnemen your owneigen stemstam cellscellen,
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is volgens mij dat je je eigen stamcellen neemt,
02:41
with your genesgenen and your environmentmilieu,
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met jouw genen en jouw omgeving,
02:43
and you printafdrukken your owneigen personalpersoonlijk medicinegeneeskunde.
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en dat je je eigen persoonlijke medicijn afdrukt.
02:46
And if that doesn't seemlijken fancifulfantasievolle enoughgenoeg,
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Als dat nog niet voldoende flashy klinkt,
02:48
where do you think we're going to go?
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wat denk je dat dan de volgende stap is?
02:50
Well, you're going to have your owneigen personalpersoonlijk matterer toe doen fabricatoruitvoerder.
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Je zal je eigen persoonlijke-materie-fabriek hebben.
02:55
BeamBeam me up, ScottyScotty.
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"Beam me up, Scotty."
02:57
(ApplauseApplaus)
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(Applaus)
Translated by Els De Keyser
Reviewed by Rik Delaet

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lee Cronin - Chemist
A professor of chemistry, nanoscience and chemical complexity, Lee Cronin and his research group investigate how chemistry can revolutionize modern technology and even create life.

Why you should listen

Lee Cronin's lab at the University of Glasgow does cutting-edge research into how complex chemical systems, created from non-biological building blocks, can have real-world applications with wide impact. At TEDGlobal 2012, Cronin shared some of the lab's latest work: creating a 3D printer for molecules. This device -- which has been prototyped -- can download plans for molecules and print them, in the same way that a 3D printer creates objects. In the future, Cronin says this technology could potentially be used to print medicine -- cheaply and wherever it is needed. As Cronin says: "What Apple did for music, I'd like to do for the discovery and distribution of prescription drugs."

At TEDGlobal 2011, Cronin shared his lab's bold plan to create life. At the moment, bacteria is the minimum unit of life -- the smallest chemical unit that can undergo evolution. But in Cronin's emerging field, he's thinking about forms of life that won't be biological. To explore this, and to try to understand how life itself originated from chemicals, Cronin and others are attempting to create truly artificial life from completely non-biological chemistries that mimic the behavior of natural cells. They call these chemical cells, or Chells. 

Cronin's research interests also encompass self-assembly and self-growing structures -- the better to assemble life at nanoscale. At the University of Glasgow, this work on crystal structures is producing a raft of papers from his research group. He says: "Basically one of my longstanding research goals is to understand how life emerged on planet Earth and re-create the process."

Read the papers referenced in his TEDGlobal 2102 talk:

Integrated 3D-printed reactionware for chemical synthesis and analysis, Nature Chemistry

Configurable 3D-Printed millifluidic and microfluidic ‘lab on a chip’ reactionware devices, Lab on a Chip

More profile about the speaker
Lee Cronin | Speaker | TED.com