Latest news with #SyntheticHumanGenomeProject
NDTV
16 hours ago
- Health
- NDTV
Controversy Erupts As Scientists Start Work To Create Artificial Human DNA
Scientists have begun work on a controversial project that aims to create human DNA from scratch. World's largest medical charity, the Wellcome Trust, has donated Rs 117 crore (10 million pounds) to start the project, which involves scientists from universities including Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College. Regarded as the building blocks of human life, DNA is made up of repeating units called nucleotides, which contain all the genetic information that physically makes us who we are. Scientists involved in the Synthetic Human Genome Project are now attempting to create a fully synthetic human chromosome, making up about two per cent of human DNA, as proof of concept. The ultimate aim is to maybe one day, create all of it from scratch. "The sky is the limit. We are looking at therapies that will improve people's lives as they age, that will lead to healthier ageing with less disease as they get older," Dr Julian Sale, of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, who is part of the project, told the BBC. "We are looking to use this approach to generate disease-resistant cells we can use to repopulate damaged organs, for example, in the liver and the heart, even the immune system," he said. As per Professor Matthew Hurles, director of the Wellcome Sanger Insititute, studying how genes and DNA regulate our bodies could help us pinpoint when they go wrong and ultimately develop better treatments. "Building DNA from scratch allows us to test out how DNA really works and test out new theories, because currently we can only really do that by tweaking DNA in DNA that already exists in living systems," said Mr Hurles. However, not everyone is seemingly convinced by the idea of humans playing gods. Professor Bill Earnshaw, a genetic scientist at Edinburgh University who designed a method for creating artificial chromosomes, said the technology could be commercialised quickly by healthcare companies. "The genie is out of the bottle. We could have a set of restrictions now, but if an organisation who has access to appropriate machinery decided to start synthesising anything, I don't think we could stop them." Dr Pat Thomas, director of the campaign group Beyond GM, said even though scientists are there to work for the good of humans, the project may cause "harm". "We like to think that all scientists are there to do good, but the science can be repurposed to do harm and for warfare," said Dr Thomas. Social media reacts Reacting to the news, a section of social media users said the experiments could go wrong, while others expressed optimism that it could lead to a better quality of life for people. "Corporate grown employees coming soon. What a wonderful world we live in," said one user while another added: "Can't see this going wrong in a sci-fi horror type way at all." A third commented: "This is so cool. I hated growing up with eczema. It would've improved my life so much to not have that issue."
Irish Independent
19 hours ago
- Science
- Irish Independent
Synthetic DNA research could lead to the creation of artificial life, Irish professor says
There's nothing to stop scientists creating artificial life, said an Irish scientist after a UK charity announced support for a project to create synthetic DNA. The Wellcome Trust – a London-based charity that funds health research with legacy funding from deceased pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome – is to provide £10m (€8.5m) for the new Synthetic Human Genome Project (SynHG). The news was first reported yesterday by the BBC.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Can we build human DNA from scratch? UK scientists say they've started working on it
In a quiet lab in the UK, a bold scientific experiment is taking its first steps: one that could fundamentally change how we treat disease, how we understand life, and how we define what it means to be human. With the backing of the world's largest medical charity, researchers are now working to build parts of human DNA molecule by molecule. For supporters, it's a moment of historic promise — a leap forward in the fight against incurable illnesses. For critics, it opens the door to dangerous ethical terrain, including the spectre of designer humans and synthetic life. The project is backed by a £10 million initial grant from the Wellcome Trust, as per BBC. The initiative — called the Synthetic Human Genome Project — aims to construct human DNA from the ground up, marking what scientists believe to be a world first. Dr Julian Sale of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, a lead researcher on the project, described it to BBC News as the next giant leap in biology. He said: 'The sky is the limit… We are looking at therapies that will improve people's lives as they age… to generate disease-resistant cells that can repopulate damaged organs, like the heart, liver, and immune system.' The project builds on the Human Genome Project, completed 25 years ago, which enabled scientists to read human DNA like a barcode. The new goal goes further: not just to read, but to build sections of DNA — and eventually entire chromosomes — from scratch. By assembling artificial chromosomes in the lab, scientists hope to explore how genes govern repair, development, and illness. The team believes this could help unlock new treatments for genetic disorders and age-related diseases. But the project has raised serious ethical concerns. 'We like to think that all scientists are there to do good, but the science can be repurposed to do harm and for warfare,' said Dr Pat Thomas, director of advocacy group Beyond GM, warning against potential misuse by rogue actors. Professor Bill Earnshaw, a genetics expert at Edinburgh University, echoed the fears: 'The genie is out of the bottle. We could have a set of restrictions now, but if an organisation with access to the right machinery decided to synthesise anything, I don't think we could stop them.' To ensure ethical checks, a dedicated social science programme will run in parallel, led by Professor Joy Zhang at the University of Kent. The initiative will seek input from sociologists, ethicists, and the public. Zhang said: 'We want to understand how people relate to the technology, how it can be beneficial, and what concerns or hopes they might have.' Wellcome's head of research programmes, Dr Tom Collins, acknowledged the risks but defended the organisation's decision to fund the work. Speaking to BBC, Collins said: 'We asked ourselves what was the cost of inaction… This technology is going to be developed one day, so by doing it now we are at least trying to do it in as responsible a way as possible and confront the ethical and moral questions upfront.' (With inputs from BBC)
Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- Health
- Saudi Gazette
Work begins to create artificial human DNA from scratch
LONDON — Work has begun on a controversial project to create the building blocks of human life from scratch, in what is believed to be a world first. The research has been taboo until now because of concerns it could lead to designer babies or unforeseen changes for future generations. But now the world's largest medical charity, the Wellcome Trust, has given an initial £10m to start the project and says it has the potential to do more good than harm by accelerating treatments for many incurable diseases. Dr Julian Sale, of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, who is part of the project, told BBC News the research was the next giant leap in biology. "The sky is the limit. We are looking at therapies that will improve people's lives as they age, that will lead to healthier aging with less disease as they get older. "We are looking to use this approach to generate disease-resistant cells we can use to repopulate damaged organs, for example in the liver and the heart, even the immune system," he said. But critics fear the research opens the way for unscrupulous researchers seeking to create enhanced or modified humans. Dr Pat Thomas, director of the campaign group Beyond GM, said: "We like to think that all scientists are there to do good, but the science can be repurposed to do harm and for warfare". Details of the project were given to BBC News on the 25th anniversary of the completion of the Human Genome Project, which mapped the molecules in human DNA and was also largely funded by Wellcome. Every cell in our body contains a molecule called DNA which carries the genetic information it needs. DNA is built from just four much smaller blocks referred to as A, G, C and T, which are repeated over and over again in various combinations. Amazingly it contains all the genetic information that physically makes us who we are. The Human Genome Project enabled scientists to read all human genes like a bar code. The new work that is getting under way, called the Synthetic Human Genome Project, potentially takes this a giant leap forward – it will allow researchers not just to read a molecule of DNA, but to create parts of it – maybe one day all of it — molecule by molecule from scratch. The scientists' first aim is to develop ways of building ever larger blocks of human DNA, up to the point when they have synthetically constructed a human chromosome. These contain the genes that govern our development, repair and maintenance. These can then be studied and experimented on to learn more about how genes and DNA regulate our bodies. Many diseases occur when these genes go wrong so the studies could lead to better treatments, according to Prof Matthew Hurles, director of the Wellcome Sanger Insititute which sequenced the largest proportion of the Human Genome. "Building DNA from scratch allows us to test out how DNA really works and test out new theories, because currently we can only really do that by tweaking DNA in DNA that already exists in living systems". The project's work will be confined to test tubes and dishes and there will be no attempt to create synthetic life. But the technology will give researchers unprecedented control over human living systems. And although the project is hunting for medical benefits, there is nothing to stop unscrupulous scientists misusing the technology. They could, for example, attempt to create biological weapons, enhanced humans or even creatures that have human DNA, according to Prof Bill Earnshaw, a highly respected genetic scientist at Edinburgh University who designed a method for creating artificial human chromosomes. "The genie is out of the bottle," he told BBC News. "We could have a set of restrictions now, but if an organisation who has access to appropriate machinery decided to start synthesising anything, I don't think we could stop them" Ms Thomas is concerned about how the technology will be commercialised by healthcare companies developing treatments emerging from the research. "If we manage to create synthetic body parts or even synthetic people, then who owns them. And who owns the data from these creations? " Given the potential misuse of the technology, the question for Wellcome is why they chose to fund it. The decision was not made lightly, according to Dr Tom Collins, who gave the funding go-ahead. "We asked ourselves what was the cost of inaction," he told BBC News. "This technology is going to be developed one day, so by doing it now we are at least trying to do it in as responsible a way as possible and to confront the ethical and moral questions in an upfront way as possible". A dedicated social science program will run in tandem with the project's scientific development and will be led by Prof Joy Zhang, a sociologist, at the University of Kent. "We want to get the views of experts, social scientists and especially the public about how they relate to the technology and how it can be beneficial to them and, importantly, what questions and concerns they have," she said. — BBC
