Synthetic Biology: DIY kits
Anyone will soon be able to edit genes
Ivan Zagorsky, Vesti The genome editing technology, known as CRISPR/Cas9, was developed in 2013, and in just a couple of years has revolutionized genetic engineering.
The method, based on the molecular defense mechanism of bacteria, allows you to cut and change DNA sections of any organisms directly in living cells with high accuracy.
And if earlier manipulations with genes were performed in specialized laboratories of large scientific centers, now the new technology has a chance to get a truly mass distribution. Molecular biologist Josiah Zayner from the Ames Research Center, NASA, plans to create a kit for conducting scientific experiments at home. With it, you can change the genes of yeast and bacteria even in your own kitchen.
Recall that "grouped regulatory short palindromic repeats separated by intervals" (which is exactly how the full name CRISPR sounds in Russian) were first discovered in the genome of bacteria and archaea. Later it turned out that unicellular survivors of the virus attack embed a fragment of the enemy's genetic code into their DNA so that future generations could recognize a similar strain. When encountering an enemy whose data is in a kind of genetic file, the bacteria use a special molecular complex that attaches to the viral DNA exactly in the place corresponding to the preserved fragment and cuts it with one of the Cas group proteins, destroying the virus. More recently, scientists have discovered that similar molecular scissors can be directed to any part of the mammalian genome, including humans, and thereby correct or replace a variety of genes.
Zainer decided that if CRISPR/Cas9 is a key tool of modern science, it should be available to everyone, including novice amateur researchers. To do this, he opened an online store, The ODIN, designed to promote home experiments with synthetic biology, and then launched a company selling complete sets of equipment and reagents for genetic engineering on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. The developers have collected the necessary $ 10 thousand ahead of time.
The product line will resemble children's educational kits for chemical experiments. With the cheapest $75 kit, you can add a fluorescent protein gene to bacteria and make them glow in the dark. For $130, the buyer will receive everything necessary to create a genetically modified strain of bacteria capable of surviving in a deadly environment for the original organisms. And with the help of a $160 kit, you can edit the ADE2 gene in yeast and add red pigment to them. Each set contains a detailed guide for conducting experiments.
Sample of a gene editing kit at home
(photo by Josiah Zayner)
Despite the fact that the technology works successfully with human genes, Zainer is not going to sell kits for growing an additional kidney or fighting baldness.
The scientist also emphasizes that there are no harmful substances and dangerous types of bacteria and yeast in the kits. With their help, it will not be possible to create biological weapons or organize a zombie apocalypse. According to Zainer, the main goal of the company is to attract the attention of young novice researchers to the possibilities of CRISPR/Cas9 technology.
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13.11.2015