Latest news with #syntheticbiology
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Controversial project to create artificial human DNA begins
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 programmewill 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 importanlty what questions and concerns they have," she said.
BBC News
12 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Synthetic Human Genome Project gets go ahead
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 research has been taboo until now because of concerns it could lead to designer babies or unforeseen changes for future 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 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 critics fear the research opens the way for unscrupulous researchers seeking to create enhanced or modified 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 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 can then be studied and experimented on to learn more about how genes and DNA regulate our 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 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 programmewill 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 importanlty what questions and concerns they have," she said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Twist and Element Biosciences Expands Pact for Sequencing Workflow Solutions
Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) is among the 11 Best Genomics Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds. The firm has expanded its relationship with Element Biosciences to produce end-to-end Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) solutions. A scientist holding a test tube in the lab, surrounded by equipment used in synthetic biology and drug discovery. Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST)'s library prep and target enrichment workflows are now integrated with Element's AVITI™ devices and Trinity™ flowcells. Twist will be the only supplier of the new Trinity kits for the AVITI platform as a result of the deal. Both businesses will collaborate on commercial efforts to increase customer access to high-performance NGS technologies. The expanded relationship builds on past success, including Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST)'s Trinity solution for one-hour quick hybridization. The partnership will improve workflows for agbio, genomics, and clinical research by streamlining hybrid capture both off and on sequencers, according to Twist CEO Emily Leproust. Element Biosciences CEO Molly He highlighted that the combination of Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST)'s prep capabilities and Trinity's focused sequencing is essential to advancing science. The partnership will provide researchers with platform flexibility, uniformity, and quality by extending NGS capabilities beyond exome sequencing. While we acknowledge the potential of TWST as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 10 High-Growth EV Stocks to Invest In and 13 Best Car Stocks to Buy in 2025. Disclosure. None. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Top Genomics Stocks to Add to Your Portfolio in 2025
An updated edition of the March 28, 2025, article. The rapid evolution of genomics, the study of genes and their functions, in recent times has paved the way for a revolutionary era in genetic medicine. Given the constant need for innovative medical treatments, genomics holds the key to the future of the medical world. In simpler terms, genomics includes the study of a complete set of genes, their work process and way of interacting with each other and the environment. The primary focus is to evaluate all the genes of an organism rather than individual genes. Of late, there have been several breakthroughs in this field, attracting the attention of pharma and biotech companies. Genetic information is being used to evaluate individual responses to drugs, leading to the development of targeted therapies. Interestingly, genomics has ushered in innovative concepts, such as synthetic biology, which applies engineering principles to biology. Synthetic biology products serve life sciences researchers across a variety of healthcare applications, including drug discovery, disease detection, enzyme engineering, gene editing and basic academic research. The recent spotlight on companies in the evolving genomics sector can be attributed to a drastic reduction in the cost, accuracy, and time required to map an individual's entire genome. A major player in this field is Illumina ILMN, a global leader in sequencing and array-based solutions for genetic and genomic analysis. While some companies are utilizing genetic sequencing to develop solutions not only for healthcare but also for other areas, diagnostic companies leverage sequencing data to identify specific genetic variations and map them to a known condition. Another breakthrough is the development of genome editing approaches, such as CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Gene editing companies, such as BEAM Therapeutics BEAM and CRISPR Therapeutics AG CRSP, hold potential to treat and cure diseases caused by genetic variants. As the name suggests, they make changes or correct defects in the organism's DNA. Per estimates, the genomics market will reach $157.47 billion by 2033. Per Grandview research, the global synthetic biology market size was valued at $16.22 billion in 2024 and is projected to witness a CAGR of 17.30% from 2025 to 2030. If you're looking to capitalize on this trend, our Genomics and Synthetic Biology screen makes it easy to identify high-potential stocks at any given time. At present, investors can consider adding stocks like Intellia Therapeutics NTLA, uniQure QURE and Verve Therapeutics VERV to their portfolio. Explore 30 cutting-edge investment themes with Zacks Thematic Screens and uncover your next big opportunity. Intellia Therapeutics is a clinical-stage gene editing company, focused on developing drugs with CRISPR-based therapies. NTLA is leveraging its modular platform to advance in vivo and ex vivo therapies for diseases with high unmet need. The in vivo programs use CRISPR to enable precise editing of disease-causing genes directly inside the human body. NTLA's lead in vivo product candidates are nex-z for the treatment of ATTR amyloidosis and NTLA-2002 for the treatment of HAE. NTLA-2002 is a wholly owned, investigational in vivo CRISPR-based therapy designed to knock out the kallikrein B1 gene in the liver, with the goal of achieving lifelong control of HAE attacks after a single dose. Nex-z is an investigational CRISPR-based therapy designed to inactivate the TTR gene in liver cells, thereby preventing the production of TTR protein for the treatment of ATTR amyloidosis. Both are currently in phase III studies. NTLA has collaborated with Regeneron for Nex-z. This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company is also advancing ex vivo applications to address immuno-oncology and autoimmune diseases, where CRISPR is used as the tool to create the engineered cell therapy outside the body. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. uniQure is advancing a focused pipeline of innovative gene therapies for the treatment of Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis caused by mutations in superoxide dismutase 1 ('SOD1-ALS'), refractory mesial temporal lobe epilepsy ('mTLE') and Fabry disease. The company has made good pipeline progress. The FDA recently granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to AMT-130 for the treatment of Huntington's disease. In March 2025, QURE held a Type B meeting with the FDA to discuss chemistry, manufacturing and controls requirements for AMT-130, in support of a planned biologics license application ('BLA') submission. An additional Type B meeting (focused on the pivotal statistical analysis plan) was also held. The company is also conducting a phase I/IIa study (GenTLE) on AMT-260 for the treatment of MTLE in the United States. A phase I/IIa study on AMT-191 for the treatment of Fabry disease is also ongoing. AMT-162 is being evaluated for the treatment of SOD1-ALS in a phase I/II study. The successful development of any of these candidates will be a significant boost for this Zacks Rank #2 company. Verve Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company developing a new class of genetic medicines for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The primary objective is to transition CVD treatment from chronic therapies to single-course, gene-editing medicines. VERV is developing a pipeline of gene editing programs targeting the three lipoprotein pathways — low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, and lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a) — that drive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), the most common form of CVD. VERV's lead clinical-stage programs target the PCSK9 and ANGPTL3 genes, which have been extensively validated as targets for lowering LDL cholesterol, or LDL-C. VERVE-102 targets PCSK9 and is designed to permanently turn off the PCSK9 gene in the liver. The candidate is being evaluated in the open-label phase Ib Heart-2 study. The study is designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of VERVE-102 in adult patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, or HeFH, and/or premature coronary artery disease. VERVE-201 is designed to permanently turn off the ANGPTL3 gene in the liver. VERVE-201 is being evaluated in the open-label phase Ib study designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability in adult patients with refractory hypercholesterolemia. VERVE-301 is being developed in collaboration with Lilly. The company also carries a Zacks Rank #2. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Illumina, Inc. (ILMN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Beam Therapeutics Inc. (BEAM) : Free Stock Analysis Report uniQure N.V. (QURE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. (NTLA) : Free Stock Analysis Report CRISPR Therapeutics AG (CRSP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (VERV) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
