a day ago
Human genetic code to be built from scratch
The human genetic code will be built from scratch by British scientists in a controversial new research project.
The £10 million scheme to synthesise DNA is being funded by the Wellcome Trust and involves scientists from universities including Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College.
Since the human genome was decoded at the start of the century, researchers have questioned whether it might be possible to use the blueprint to create genes and chromosomes artificially.
In the five year project, the team hopes to create a fully synthetic human chromosome - making up about 2 per cent of human DNA - as a proof of concept.
Michael Dunn, director of discovery research at Wellcome, said: ' Our DNA determines who we are and how our bodies work.
'Through creating the necessary tools and methods to synthesise a human genome we will answer questions about our health and disease that we cannot even anticipate yet, in turn transforming our understanding of life and wellbeing.'
Researchers say synthetic genomes could help create new cell-based therapies or engineer plant species with new properties, such as being able to withstand pests and warming climates.
Synthetic genomes have already been developed for small organisms such as the sexually transmitted bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium and But the human genome is much more complicated.
However, experts said it is crucial to make sure the technology is not abused and that regulations are put in place.
'You can only truly understand something if you can build it from scratch,' said Prof Robin Lovell-Badge, group leader of the Francis Crick Institute in London.
'It is critical when developing new technology to understand not just issues of potential utility, but also those concerned with safety and risk.
'If these were to ever be used in humans, it would be important to design them carefully so that they can't lead to tumours or produce novel infectious particles.
'Indeed, I would urge incorporating an inducible genetic kill switch to eliminate them from any location in the body or at least to make them easy for the immune system to find and destroy.'
The Wellcome Trust said it was commissioning a separate project to look into the ethics and public opinion on the research.
Dr Pat Thomas, director of the campaign group Beyond GM, told the BBC: 'We like to think that all scientists are there to do good, but the science can be repurposed to do harm and for warfare'.
