VENTER’S MAN- MADE GENOME: BLESSING OR CURSE? PREPARED BY IBRAHIM AL HASHIMI

INTRODUCTION In May of 2010, J. Craig Venter announces that his team had synthesized the first completely synthetic genome. This genome was designed by a computer, synthesized in a lab, and transplanted in a recipient cell.

HOW DID VENTER DO THIS? Genome of M. mycoides was sequenced, synthesized from the four nucleobases, and transplanted in an emptied-out shell of a M. capricolum cell. Synthetic genome is a million basepairs long. Watermarks were introduced to the synthetic DNA to distinguish it from a wild type M. mycoides. Some are opposed to calling this “artificial life”.

ETHICAL ISSUES Artificially engineered organisms may be accidentally released into the wild. “Kill switch” likely ineffective over several generations. Bioterrorism could become more dangerous due to the ability of genetically engineered organisms to be programmed to target a specific genetic sequence/s.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS Scientists at the JCVI may be close to creating synthetic organisms from scratch. Project reportedly dubbed the “Hail Mary Genome”. The complete artificiality of this genome would make its components, and thus its behavior, completely known to man.

QUESTIONS? I’d be happy to answer any questions from the audience.

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REFERENCES creating-new-forms-of-life/ creating-new-forms-of-life/ text/article/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell- constructed-by-j-craig-venter-institute-researcher/ text/article/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell- constructed-by-j-craig-venter-institute-researcher/ genome-cellhttp:// genome-cell 24/science/ _1_genome-synthetic-life-j-craig-venterhttp://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ /science/ _1_genome-synthetic-life-j-craig-venter changehttp:// change mlhttp:// ml