Synthetische biologie: Verleg grenzen DNA
Craig Venter is een omstreden microbioloog en wordt ook wel omschreven als de Bill Gates van genetica. Hij spreekt op TEDMED over zijn project om leven te creëren vanuit digitale code. Heftig!
Volgens Craig Venter betekent dit dat we DNA van iedere levensvorm kunnen hergebruiken en aanpassen om bijvoorbeeld medicijnen te maken die eeuwenoude ziekten kunnen bestrijden. De mogelijkheden zijn oneindig volgens Venter en worden beperkt door ons beperkte menselijke inbeeldingsvermogen. Ik raad aan om de clip te bekijken ook al is deze redelijk 'technisch'. Mocht je het niet volhouden kijk dan zeker even vanaf 14.30. Mocht je willen 'skippen' door de presentatie zie onderstaand dan de beknopte inhoudsopgave. Gevonden via singularityhub (Aaron Saenz, thank you).
We can move DNA across the branches of life(Craig Venter)We can build new DNA molucules to do what we want them to do
0:23 – Venter opens his talk by discussing how DNA is an analog software device, and details his gene mapping efforts to date.
2:45 – Unlike electronics, synthetic biology has more than 3 or 4 design components. There are 20+ million genes to use as basic parts.
3:15 – The simplest bacterium (genetically) has just 580 kb of data – about 500 genes. Venter wanted to find the most basic form of life you can make.
4:25 – If DNA = software, how do you boot it up? It took Venter more than a decade to artificially assemble the genome of a simple virus (5000 genes).
5:35 – But injecting bacteria with genes allows that DNA to be replicated very quickly. Software builds hardware in biology. At 100k genes, however, bacteria are no longer great at assembling DNA pieces.
7:22 – Yeast can repair and assemble long pieces of DNA with overlapping ends. All you really need is an artificial centromere which Venter’s team happily created. Mass production of new life using yeast is possible.
9:30 – By injecting DNA, you can change one species into another. Incredible!
11:30 – To form bacteria out of DNA assembled in yeast, you have to methylate it.
13:45 – We now have the pieces for making synthetic life. You assemble DNA in yeast, change/build it as you see fit, then transplant into bacteria which will change species.
14:40 – Venter says it is still possible that Synthetic Genomics will create a new species in 2010, but he warns that he said the same thing for the past two years.
15:00 – computer software that designs biological software
15:46 – The huge range of design components could allow for amazing medical advancements. Antibiotics based on ocean organisms, new vaccines, etc. A meningitis B vaccine is in phase III trials in Europe.
17:26 – Venter ends by mentioning the ongoing ethical discussions concerning synthetic life.
It is still possible to that we will have the first species powered by synthetic chromosomes this year. But I want to remind everybody that I am saying this for already two years but it will be soon!
