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For decades, scientists have been building synthetic versions of viruses, bacteria, and yeast, but now U.K. scientists are setting their sights on the human genome.
Building a synthetic genome would be much different than gene editing, which contains smaller edits to one’s own genome.
While a synthetic human genome could dramatically improve our ability to manage our health, it could also be a deadly weapon if used for nefarious purposes.
The ethical duality of scientific discovery is nothing new. The most dramatic example is, of course, splitting the atom, which delivered a promising new energy source as well as weapons of mass destruction. A more recent example—the internet—was an unprecedented way to access the sum total of human knowledge, and it also became an insidious vector of mass misinformation. Now scientists are embarking on a new scientific journey, one that could bring unimaginable benefits for human health while also providing the tools for immense destruction.
We’re going to synthesize the human genome.
Over the next five years, the Synthetic Human Genome Project (SynHG), funded by the world’s largest medical charity Wellcome Trust (which was also a partner of the Human Genome Project completed in 2003), will work with scientists from Cambridge, Kent, Manchester, Oxford, and Imperial College London to build the foundational tools necessary to rebuild the human genome from scratch. This is different than gene editing, which typically involves much smaller changes to an organism’s original DNA.
“With recent technological advances, the SynHG project is at the forefront of one of the most exciting areas of scientific research,” Wellcome’s Michael Dunn said in a press statement. “Through creating the necessary tools and methods to synthesize 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.”
In an interview with the BBC, Julian Sale, a member of the Molecular Biology in Cambridge who is part of the study, said that a synthetic human genome could improve the lives of humans as they age. This focus on healthspan—improving the quality of life for the years we do have—over lifespan is something medical professionals have been urging for years, and a synthetic human genome could address a wide variety of maladies that impact our quality of life in old age.
And then, there’s the other side of the scientific coin.
While a synthetic genome could help generate disease-resistant cells or repair damaged organs or the immune system in general, the technology could also be used as a highly efficient biological weapon if it fell into the wrong hands. That’s why SynHG will also develop social science programs that will examine the technology’s ethical, legal, and social implications.
“The genie is out of the bottle,” Edinburgh University genetic scientist Bill Earnshaw told BBC News. “We could have a set of restrictions now, but if an organization who has access to appropriate machinery decided to start synthesising anything, I don’t think we could stop them.”
When it comes to synthetic biology, the genie has actually been out of that proverbial bottle for a while now. In 2002, scientists in the U.S. first synthesized a viral genome, and since then, scientists have increased genomic complexity by synthesizing a bacterium in 2008 and a yeast organism in 2017. Of course, the human genome is leagues beyond these simple synthetic reconstructions, which is why the project scientists estimate that it could take decades to complete.
Hopefully that provides enough time for humanity to fully grapple with the implications of such a breakthrough and ensure that we don’t accidentally create yet another weapon of mass destruction.
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