Kim Bellard
As my own DNA-based organism, I am always fascinated by the extraordinary abilities of DNA. Not only life finds all the ways it is, but we have the ability to find new ways to take advantage of them. I've written about DNA as a storage medium, as a neural network, computer, robot and even mirror DNA. So when I read last month’s Synthetic Human Genome (SYNHG) project, I was so excited.
The project has been announced, and was announced by Wellcome Trust, with £10 million in funding announced in five years. Its goal is to “develop fundamental tools, techniques and methods that enable researchers to integrate the genome one day.”
The website details of this project:
Through programmable genetic material synthesis, we will gain a deeper understanding of life, thus having a profound impact on biotechnology and potentially accelerate safe, targeted cell-based therapies and opening up the entire field of human health research. Achieving reliable genome design and synthesis (i.e., engineered cells with specific functions) will be a major milestone in modern biology.
The goal of the current project is not to build a complete synthetic genome, which they think may take decades, but to “provide concept for large genome synthesis by creating fully synthesized human chromosomes.”
This is bigger than you might realize.
“Our DNA determines who we are and how the body works,” said Michael Dunn, director of Wellcome Discovery Research. “With the latest advances in technology, the Synhg project is one of the most exciting areas of scientific research.”
The project is led by Professor Jason Chin of the Ellison Institute of Technology and the Oxford Institute for Genetic Biology, who said: “The ability to integrate large genomes, including human cellular genomes, may change our understanding of genomic biology and profoundly change the horizons of biotechnology and medicine.”
He further told guardian: “The information obtained from the synthetic human genome may be used directly to generate treatments for almost any disease.”
Professor Patrick Yizhi Cai, Chairman of Synthetic Genomics at the University of Manchester boasted: “We are using cutting-edge generation AI and advanced robot assembly technology to revolutionize synthetic mammalian chromosome engineering. Our innovative approach is designed to provide new social challenges to our era and to provide you with a higher future and to provide you with a higher future and to provide you with a higher future.”
Dr. Julian Sale, a project member at the MRC Molecular Biology Laboratory in Cambridge, told BBC News This study is the next huge leap in biology: “The sky is the limit. We are looking at the therapies that can improve life as we age, and as we age, they can cause smaller diseases to age. We are looking to use this method to produce disease-resistant cells to produce disease-resistant cells that we can use to refill damaged organs, such as in liver cancer and the heart, even the immune system.”
Think I was impressed.
Professor Matthew Hurles, Director of Wellcome Sanger College BBC News The advantage of synthesizing DNA is: “Building DNA from scratch can test how DNA really works and test new theories, because for the moment, we can only really do this by tuning DNA in the DNA already in the living system.”
It is incredible to consider the potential benefits this work may bring, but the potential risks are equally the consequences. Designers' babies, enhanced humans, hybrids with other animals – synthetic DNA may accommodate all of these and more. The sky is indeed the limit.
The project leader realized that there were important ethical considerations in this work, thus including a partner social science program called Care-Full Synthesis, led by Professor Joy Zhang from the Center for Global Science and Cognitive Justice at the University of Kent. It plans to conduct an “interdisciplinary and intercultural survey” on “social ethical, economic and policy implications of the integrated human genome” and emphasizes “inclusion within and across countries and across countries while attracting emerging public-private partnerships and new partnerships and new interest groups”.
“Through empirical research throughout Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and America, our goal is to establish a new paradigm in the global era to achieve responsible scientific and innovative practices,” Professor Zhang said. “One explores the full potential of comprehensive technical possibilities and various socioethical perspectives.”
This may prove to be a more difficult task to integrate human chromosomes.
Synhg is not the only project to look at synthetic DNA. This is an upcoming technology. Does anyone think that Chinese researchers are not working hard for this? Does anyone think they are also considering moral considerations? Perhaps the next breakthrough will be some U.S. startups, which are a lot of uses for synthetic DNA and are looking forward to unicorn-level returns.
Professor Bill Enshaw, a genetic scientist at the University of Edinburgh, warns BBC News: “The elves are not in the bottle. We may have a set of restrictions right now, but if an organization that can use the proper machinery decides to start synthesising anything, I don't think we can stop them.”
But Dr. Tom Collins of Wellcome is the funding for greening BBC News“We ask ourselves what the cost of doing nothing is. This technology will be developed one day, so by doing it now, we must at least do it in the way we can and face moral and moral issues as early and up front as possible.”
Worthy's honors include these notes in the project. They are considered too honorable in the United States and in honor of the cost of inaction.
We have made amazing progress in DNA throughout my life. When I was born, I was just discovered. The Human Genome Project was launched in 1990 and in 2003, the first sequence of the human genome was launched. The CRISPR revolution (Allows Gene Editing) began in 2012 and we are now working on personalized gene editing therapy. “Excellent” is too gentle.
But we still don't know much. We don't always know when/why genes are turned on/off. Under what circumstances we still have a very ignorant understanding of which diseases are genetic diseases and which genes are caused. And, for the sake of heaven, what is “junk DNA” doing? Is it just a long-term basis for mastery caused by evolution, or is it a certain importance that has not been learned yet?
These are things that Synhg might help us understand better, and I can't wait to see what it's going to find out.
Kim is the former editor of the main blues program eMarketing Excon, late and lamented tinfure.io, now a regular THCB contributor
