Scientists are creating synthetic human DNA from scratch in a contentious project that could lead to new treatments for major illnesses.
The research focuses on using lab-built DNA sections to develop therapies for autoimmune disorders, heart failure, viral infections and age-related diseases. These synthetic DNA strands are being inserted into skin cells to observe how they function.
Teams behind the work aim to eventually build entire human chromosomes – the structures that carry DNA within cells – as part of a wider goal to assemble a fully synthetic human genome, the complete set of instructions found in human DNA.
Universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Kent, Manchester and Imperial College London are collaborating on the five-year project.
However, critics have warned the technology could be misused to create biological weapons or genetically engineered “designer babies”.
Professor Bill Earnshaw of the University of Edinburgh, said: “The genie is out of the bottle.
“If an organisation with the right equipment decided to start synthesising anything, I don’t think we could stop them.”
Dr Pat Thomas, a longtime campaigner on genetic ethics, added: “While many scientists have good intentions, the science can be repurposed to harm, and even for warfare.”
DNA carries genetic instructions using four chemical bases – A, G, C and T – which repeat in countless combinations to form the code that shapes everything from eye colour to disease risk.
Rather than editing existing DNA, scientists in this project are constructing it entirely from scratch. This offers greater control to explore genetic function and test new biological theories.
The team says the work could help uncover how faulty cells trigger disease or lead to ways of making tissues more resistant to illness, or developing techniques to repair organs such as the heart or liver.
Dr Julian Sale of Cambridge’s MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, said: “This is about developing therapies that will improve people’s lives as they age, leading to healthier ageing with less disease.”
Dr Sale said the technology enables researchers to study the genome’s so-called “dark matter” – vast regions of DNA that do not code for proteins but may still play critical roles in how cells function.
The researcher added: “Building DNA from scratch allows us to test out how DNA really works and test out new theories, because currently we can only do that by tweaking DNA in existing living systems.”
Professor Matthew Hurles of the Wellcome Sanger Institute said the project could transform treatment by revealing why certain cells cause disease and how to fix them.
Although any clinical applications may still be years away, scientists say the work could eventually lead to virus-resistant tissues, lab-grown organs or advanced cell-based therapies.
