Scientists found a way to manufacture Synthetic Genome

                Scientists are now contemplating the fabrication of a human genome, meaning they would use chemicals to manufacture all the DNA contained in human chromosomes. The prospect is spurring both intrigue and concern in the life science community because it might be possible, through cloning, to use a synthetic genome to create human beings without biological parents. The project is still in the idea phase.

                The project could have a big scientific payoff and would be a follow-up to the original Human Genome Project, which was aimed at reading the sequence of the three billion chemical letters in the DNA blueprint of human life. The new project would involve not reading, but rather writing the human genome – synthesizing all three billion units from chemicals.

                The project was not aimed to creating people, just cells, and would not be restricted to human genomes. Rather it would aim to improve the ability to synthesize DNA in general, which could be applied to various animals, plants and microbes. Scientists and companies can now change the DNA in cells, for example, by adding foreign genes or changing the letters in the existing genes. This technique is routinely used to make drugs, such as insulin for diabetes, inside genetically modified cells, as well as to make genetically modified crops. But synthesizing a gene, or an entire genome, would provide the opportunity to make even more extensive changes in DNA.