A five-year research project called Synthetic Human Genome (SynHG) has been launched in the UK, in which researchers plan to create large fragments of human DNA in the laboratory, The Guardian reports.
The goal of the research is to gain a deeper understanding of how the genome functions and lay the foundation for new treatments for complex diseases, including autoimmune diseases and viral organ damage.
The project is led by Professor Jason Chin from the Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge. The team also includes scientists from the universities of Cambridge, Kent, Manchester, Oxford and Imperial College London. The first stage involves the synthesis of individual sections of chromosomes, which the researchers will insert into human skin cells to observe their behaviour.
This is the first large-scale attempt to rewrite the human genome from the bottom up, from molecule to cell. Previous experience synthesizing the complete genome of E. coli has prepared Chin's team for the human genome, which is almost a thousand times larger, at over 3 billion base pairs.
Researchers are paying particular attention to the so-called "dark matter of the genome" - sections of DNA whose function remains poorly understood. Their analysis may provide new answers about gene regulation, epigenetics, and the occurrence of hereditary diseases.
Working alongside the scientific team will be an ethics team, led by Professor Joy Zhang from the University of Kent, to examine the social implications and potential risks of the research, including concerns about the use of the technology to create "designer babies" or modified organisms for domestic or industrial purposes.
Bioethicists are also considering using synthetic mitochondria to prevent maternally transmitted diseases, a solution that could reduce the need for donors and simplify IVF procedures.