

Darpa to Genetically Engineer Humans by Adding a 47th Chromosome - SPYBOT
http://topinfopost.com/2013/07/31/darpa-to-genetically-engineer-humans-by-adding-a-47th-chromosome

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a_bonobo
What a terrible article - completely misunderstanding the intent of this
project while hyperboling around the moon and back. Engineer humans to add a
47th chromosome? This is not about humans themselves at all.

What the actual project [1] wants to do:

HACs are used to introduce novel genes into populations of human _cells_ , not
actual humans. For example, if you want to get a green fluorescent protein
into cancer cells you currently have to use BACs (bacterial artificial
chromosomes) which carry that gene into the cell. HACs are relatively novel
and can carry much larger genes and are also stable over mitosis (that is, all
offspring carries the gene).

Currently, HACs are not very feasible due to a couple of hurdles, all of which
this project tries to overcome (which is why it sounds so generic - like all
good project description it tries to catch all possible outcomes).

This has great implications in gene therapy! Of course, because DARPA is
involved the author has to make it sound ohh so scary. This has no place on
HN.

[1]
[http://sbirsource.com/grantiq#/topics/88854](http://sbirsource.com/grantiq#/topics/88854)

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rgejman
This article is fear mongering with incomplete information.

There are huge problems with the current techniques we use to introduce DNA
into cell lines of all kinds (human or other mammals). For instance, the
_virus techniques he describes for inserting DNA cannot control where the DNA
lands in the genome. Thus, you may end up with a cell that seems to have the
properties you are after, but it acquired those traits through disrupting or
activating a normal gene, thus confounding your results. Alternatively, you
may be comparing cell lines with_ viral insertions and would ideally like the
expression of the inserted genes to be similar (so that you can fairly compare
their effects).

These and other problems would be solved by having cell lines with known
insertion locations. Whether this is best achieved by adding a new chromosome
to these lines or engineering a precise "landing spot" in an existing
chromosome is up for debate.

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lyso
The article is misleading - this is a technique for use on human cell lines,
not on humans.

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CmonDev
He uses "technocratic" as if it was a bad word.

"Web definitions (technocracy) a form of government in which scientists and
technical experts are in control".

Surely he will not find any supporters here on HN :).

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tbatterii
Why not 48?

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty_Six_&_2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty_Six_&_2)
Just reading the article I couldn't help but think of this song.

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a_bonobo
Yes - if you'd actually bring this into humans, you'd probably have to add
_two_ extra chromosomes since humans are diploid.

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wismer
Look around, the author produced some stuff on 9/11 trutherism. Why share this
drivel when it's objectivity is already circumspect from a misleading title?

