Re: Artificial Chromosome Success in Mice

From: Robert J. Bradbury (bradbury@www.aeiveos.com)
Date: Wed Oct 20 1999 - 20:46:10 MDT


On Wed, 20 Oct 1999, S.J. Van Sickle wrote:

>
> http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/ns-asw102099.html
>
> And you are right Robert; these guys are primarily interested in using it
> for somatic cell engineering.
>
Steve, I'm not so sure about this. As I read the press release
they want to use inherited chromosomes for engineering animals
to produce specific proteins. That isn't "somatic" engineering,
it is "germ line" engineering. From the perspective that it
starts out as germ line, but ends up somatic you are correct.
However, the key point I've tried to make, is that *you* and *I*
aren't germ cells. Since the probability of individuals who
are *now* germ cells having a fundamental impact on the
course of the development of biotech, nanotech and the singularity
is very small, it really isn't of much use to focus on these
approaches (at least with regard to "humans"). If Chromos
is focused entirely on farm animals with smaller generation
times then it may be of passing interest (it probably helps
people in 3rd world countries by increasing agricultural
productivity much more than it helps you or I individually)..

The fundamental problem with whole chromosome approaches is that
you have to get "whole" chromosomes into cells. You can't
use viruses for this, you have to inject them as an entity
using methods similar to those used in in vitro fertilization
or nuclear replacement (but at a much smaller level). This
approach doesn't work well for an organism with trillions of
cells...

Richard Simmons is lying on the operating table. The cameras
cut to the gene therapy stage containing billions of micro-needles
with tipped with anti-fat chromosomes descending slowly towards his
body. You observe the needles slowly intersecting and penetrating
the skin... In the background you hear this agonizing scream of
pain. "Oowweeee!!! That huuurrrrrtttts!!!"

I think there are ways around this problem but the engineering
hurdles are not small.

Robert



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