Britain has become home to the first major investment project looking to write human DNA completely from scratch, attracting both great excitement and grave concern from the scientific community.
Scientists already have the ability to read DNA, the building blocks of human beings, and have begun editing genome code to help cure specific diseases.
An ambitious new project, however, called SynHG (Synthetic Human Genome) has been given £10m of funding from the world’s largest medical charity, the Wellcome Trust, and will aim to completely synthesise DNA, paving the way for potentially groundbreaking medical therapies.
Research in the field has, up until now, been taboo, with campaigners worried about designer babies and unforeseen ethical issues.
As the lines between the biological and synthetic world become ever more blurred, The i Paper hears from multiple experts to identify the potential risks and benefits of building completely synthetic DNA.
“I am very excited about this,” said Sandy Starr, the deputy director of genomic charity Progress Educational Trust, pointing out that the details of the project have been released on the 25th anniversary of the completion of the Human Genome Project, which mapped the molecules in human DNA.
Tom Ellis, one of the lead scientists at SynHG, told The i Paper one of the most obvious diseases synthesised DNA could help fight against is cancer.
“We have already gained a lot of sequence information around which mutations drive what types of cancer,” Ellis said, adding that “being able to specifically write regions of the human genome and put them into cell lines” could lead to significant breakthroughs.
The science could also be used to create disease-resistant cells which can repopulate damaged organs, like the liver and the heart, and even the immune system.
Alzheimer’s is one area where synthetic genomes combined with AI could excel (Photo: Paul Ellis/AFP)DNA editing has already helped fight against very specific diseases where only one part of its coding needs changing, with gene-editing therapy for sickle cell disease being approved for use on the NHS in England earlier this year.
Ellis said it has “not taken that long” for gene editing to make such a big difference, and hopes gene building, which will be able to tackle a much wider array of illnesses, will follow a “similar trajectory”.
That trajectory, however, could be accelerated if the power of artificial intelligence is harnessed alongside DNA building.
Interpreting huge data models, AI has now given scientists an understanding of what DNA sequences and lines of code, matched with certain people in certain environments, are associated with specific diseases.
“But what AI has given us so far are just hypotheses. By building DNA, we will be able to verify those hypotheses,” said Ellis.
Alzheimer’s is one area where synthetic genomes combined with AI could excel, considering Alzheimer’s is caused by multiple different genes, as opposed to sickle cell, which is caused by one type of gene.
“AI, for instance, could give us the top 10 versions of genomes that are very resistant or vulnerable to Alzheimer’s and, by building DNA, we might be able to identify at-risk patients, and test which DNA code could work best for them,” explained Ellis.
Pat Thomas, director at Beyond GM, a campaign group focusing on genetically modified organisms, said, “The new venture was all part of innovation in biological sciences being a pathway to economic growth”.
The investment in DNA synthesis research in the UK showed the country’s life sciences industry is “thriving”, according to Ellis.
British Nobel laureates James Watson and Francis Crick were the first to discover the structure of DNA, and Britain is frequently cited as a world leader in genomic research. “It makes sense this research is happening in the UK,” Ellis added.
The potential risks
Thomas, however, was concerned about the commercialisation of synthesised DNA in the UK.
“If these cells are truly synthesised, then the idea would be that [companies] can put a patent on them. If I am given a synthesised heart, though, who owns the heart?” Thomas said. “Am I then giving permission to a company to monitor my heart and biology?”
Altering DNA could potentially open the door to creating synthetic embryos – also known as designer babies – biological weapons, so-called “super humans” and “greater ill-health rather than a healthier society”, Thomas said.
Synthetic DNA could open the door to greater health inequalities between the rich and the poor (Photo: Getty Images/Science Photo Library)“AI will almost certainly be used in the design process [of synthetic DNA],” Thomas added. “If AI, which is also in its infancy, is trained on our incomplete understanding of the human genome, are we creating something that could be dangerous? Could it lead to unexpected mutations? Could they be inheritable?”
To mitigate against these unknowns, Thomas argued for stronger regulation around DNA building before these possibilities become a reality.
square AGEING Eight things to do at 36 to improve your health later on
Read More
She also highlighted the risk of widening health inequalities between the rich and the poor if this new research is used to make more targeted medicines that only wealthier Britons can afford.
“There has been a lot of fanfare around the 25th anniversary of the completion of the Human Genome Project, but where is the demand coming from?” continued Thomas.
“I wouldn’t think the demand is coming from the average citizen; they would probably prefer resources go towards a fully funded NHS, so they can see their doctor when they want.”
However, Starr warned that the risks around doing nothing were far greater than the risks of funding a transparent, collaborative research project.
“If you do nothing,” he said, “the best case scenario is you will lose out on something that can benefit humanity.
“You also risk research being done by actors that are less transparent and that have less benevolent motives.”
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Scientists aim to create first artificial human DNA – the risks and benefits )
Also on site :
- Amazon Has an Iconic $100 LEGO Fountain Garden Set on Sale for Just $64, and Shoppers Say It’s 'Easy to Put Together'
- Iconic '90s Actress, 55, Flaunts ‘Agelessly Sexy Beauty’ in Itty-Bitty String Bikini
- EU calls for Gaza ceasefire, stops short of taking action against Israel