This project aims to develop techniques that will allow scientists to build ever larger lengths of DNA from scratch in the laboratory, with the goal of understanding better how our genomes work, and gaining insights into the role of genetics in human health and disease. There is still much that we don’t understand about how our genomes work – our genomes are messy and our genetics are complicated, particularly in the case of complex chronic diseases where genetic, environmental, lifestyle and social factors all play a role.
This project is an ambitious undertaking, and we should not underestimate the technical difficulty of what the research teams are hoping to achieve. Much of the initial work will likely focus on basic science, working out which techniques are successful and which are not, and establishing a proof of principle of what might be possible. It’s not yet clear, for example, what size of chromosome or genome could be built, and how long it will take to get there. Given that there is still much to be discovered about how different parts of the genome interact with each other to influence health and disease, it will be interesting to see how these challenges are tackled as the research progresses.
Ethical and social implications of synthetic human genomes
I was pleased to see that Wellcome have carefully considered the ethical and social implications of this work and that there is a parallel study ongoing engaging with the public and researchers. Ongoing consideration of the ethics of using this technology will be vital, since maintaining dialogue, responding and adjusting course in response to concerns will be vital to maintaining public trust in this research.
Other commenters have highlighted the potential of the technology to be used for harm, for example in cloning or to produce biological weapons. As Prof. Bill Earnshaw said to BBC News, “the genie is out of the bottle”, however given that this is the case, how should we respond? Controversy around genetic technologies is not new, as highlighted by the furore around the announcement in 2018 of the birth of twin girls from CRISPR gene edited embryos. This resulted in global discussions and a call for a moratorium on the use of germline gene editing. While synthetic genome technology is still in its infancy, we have the opportunity to debate its use, what is appropriate and not appropriate, and put measures and even laws and regulations in place to define what is allowed.
The potential health benefits for synthetic genomes will take some time to come to fruition, and there is a long way to go before we will have an indication of what these benefits will be. Whenever we speak about the role of genetics in health and disease, particularly long term chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and conditions associated with aging, it’s important to take a step back and consider the bigger picture. Genetics is only one of many other factors that influence health and disease, including diet, activity levels, lived environment, social factors, smoking status and alcohol consumption. In parallel, we should also be asking how we can support healthy aging for all, and what we as a society can do to keep people healthy for as long as possible.