Synthetic Biology

[Pallas Gaudio]

I'm a little behind on what they're doing with DNA nowadays, so found this article interesting:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jan/14/synthetic-biology-spider-goat-genetics


Elsewhere I read they are doing something similar with silkworms (ie enabling their systems to produce spider silk), a solution that seems somewhat more sensible. I can't help wondering what's going to happen when, inevitably, the enhanced goat's milk gets mixed up with goat's milk for human consumption.

And the article mentioned this registry:

http://partsregistry.org/Main_Page


Looks like something that could be incorporated in the EU Auction House.

 

[Dr.D.C.]

yes this is somethings going on since a while, but what i found more interesting is the de novo genetics. A couple of group were able to syntetize some dna and delivery it in a kind of bacteria and then induce the bacteria to transform in another one. Or still another group has published a work (if i well remember in Nature) where they create in vitro a totally new organism (a very simple one). This means that they were able to syntetize a make to works the minimum amount of genes necessary to make a life organism keep going.
Point is that the genetic transfer is some that we are doing (we means me too) since many years and people is still surprised but there is a lot more around. Just in the last very few years we realized that there is a "biology of the DNA' that means that the DNA is not just a code, an instruction book, but his form, regions availability, structural organization play a central role in the genetic expression. We name this with a specific word: epigenetics. Many diseases (like cancer) , infection (HIV integration), longevity depend on it. A better understanding of the epigenetics will for sure improve our quality life (in a long run, ofc)

have a great day

DC