Scientists re-coded bacteria into biofactories for the first time in history.

Linky link

Scientists from Yale and Harvard have recoded the entire genome of an organism and improved a bacterium’s ability to resist viruses, a dramatic demonstration of the potential of rewriting an organism’s genetic code. “This is the first time the genetic code has been fundamentally changed,” said Farren Isaacs, assistant professor of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology at Yale and co-senior author of the research published Oct. 18 in the journal Science. “Creating an organism with a new genetic code has allowed us to expand the scope of biological function in a number of powerful ways.”

*insert shockface*

When I imagined the future of retroviruses being injected into people to have their DNA re sequenced this is what I imagined. I am in shock at the speed at which the future is arriving... I think I might have involuntarily wet myself at the sheer enormity of this break through.

Not to mention the potential dangers to humanity if some maniac gets their hands on this. Zombie virus to name a few. This will truly be the age of designer "Genes".

This is the real nano technology why the hell do you waste time trying to engineer little machines when you can reprogram the ones mother nature has already made which are stronger cheaper faster and easier to make.

Now combine computer programming and this technology with 3D printing.


God I love the possibilities.

In the new study, the researchers working with E. coli swapped a codon and eliminated its natural stop sign that terminates protein production. The new genome enabled the bacteria to resist viral infection by limiting production of natural proteins used by viruses to infect cells. Isaacs — working with Marc Lajoie of Harvard, Alexis Rovner of Yale, and colleagues — then converted the “stop” codon into one that encodes new amino acids and inserted it into the genome in a plug-and-play fashion.

The work now sets the stage to convert the recoded bacterium into a living foundry, capable of biomanufacturing new classes of “exotic” proteins and polymers. These new molecules could lay the foundation for a new generation of materials, nanostructures, therapeutics, and drug delivery vehicles, Isaacs said.


“Since the genetic code is universal, it raises the prospect of recoding genomes of other organisms,” Isaacs said. “This has tremendous implications in the biotechnology industry and could open entirely new avenues of research and applications.”

Is this insane or does insanity now rule the world making it common practice. What if terrorists got hold of this kind of technology? It wouldn't be hard, the college is bragging about the technology

I may be a bit negative but the words"frankenstein's monster" and "pandoras box" spring to mind. Those egyption half animal/humans suddenely do not look so far fetched.
Science like this is the same as giving a monkey a loaded gun. S and f

rickymouse
Is this insane or does insanity now rule the world making it common practice. What if terrorists got hold of this kind of technology? It wouldn't be hard, the college is bragging about the technology

This is exactly why I think the governments of the world will reap what they sow.

People need to be educated on the dangers and benefits of this technology. So that those that want to use it can and those that want to abuse will have to deal with the ones who want to use it.

Any tool can be used to help or hinder.

symptomoftheuniverse
I may be a bit negative but the words"frankenstein's monster" and "pandoras box" spring to mind. Those egyption half animal/humans suddenely do not look so far fetched.
Science like this is the same as giving a monkey a loaded gun. S and f

not the same as gene splicing I dont think.

Think more programmed robots the size of bacteria....actually that's exactly what they are. They might be able to repair and mend DNA but I dont know how complex a task they can carry out.

double post

Food Replicators anyone?
Yeah, one-liner, I suck.

Marsupilami
Food Replicators anyone?
Yeah, one-liner, I suck.

the food replicators would be the food themselves lol

yeah those one liners huh

reply to post by TiM3LoRd


Understanding and reprogramming d.n.a has endless possibilities. Tiny bio robots is just the beggining.

reply to post by TiM3LoRd

...This is the real nano technology why the hell do you waste time trying to engineer little machines when you can reprogram the ones mother nature has already made which are stronger cheaper faster and easier to make. ...

SSSHHHHHH!!!!!

S&F& : up :

soficrow
reply to post by TiM3LoRd

 

...This is the real nano technology why the hell do you waste time trying to engineer little machines when you can reprogram the ones mother nature has already made which are stronger cheaper faster and easier to make. ...

It's funny how most info like this is considered too esoteric for the masses. Unless it's watered down and explained simplistically most people either don't care or don't get it.
SSSHHHHHH!!!!!

S&F& : up :

edit on 22/10/13 by soficrow because: format

reply to post by TiM3LoRd

..Unless it's watered down and explained simplistically most people either don't care or don't get it.

Best get right on that. Else a bunch of truly ignorant buffoons are gonna ruin our planet.

Wow this is amazing and terrifying at the same time.

The benefits are endless, we could possibly create new genetically engineered bio robots to act as an extra immune system. Maybe somehow program in regeneration like some animals. This might be used in a way to combat aging and time, although that could be bad if we don't expand off of earth.

The scary thought is imagining future military implications, there could be real super soldiers, super resistant viruses that can do whatever you program them to and so on.

By the way, love the 3-d printing reference. NASA is funding research into printing of biological materials or food for use in space. A little protein factory would be perfect. We are advancing so quick that when our children get old we will be leaps and bounds behind the times, far more so than our parents or grandparents I'd imagine.

Here yo go found a link, imagine a Piza printer on another planet complete with it's own little biological food factories. WOuld solve all kinds of issues with supplies for colonies on other planets.

www.cbsnews.com...

Not entirely true, OP, quite a few drugs are produced by genetically altered bacteria. Insulin comes to mind.

TiM3LoRd
Think more programmed robots the size of bacteria....actually that's exactly what they are. They might be able to repair and mend DNA but I dont know how complex a task they can carry out.

This article has nothing to do with reprogramming bacteria in a way that we can somehow control them and direct them to perform complex tasks. The robot analogy is, unfortunately, a rather terrible one in this context.

The idea of reprogramming in the context of the article is basically using bacteria as tiny factories to mass-produce a protein of choice. This has already been possible and (as has been mentioned) is actually used to produce some medicines (and many enzymes used in research) already.

The breakthrough here is that they've re-purposed a redundant codon to allow for it to code for a nonstandard amino acid, which may allow new proteins to be produced in the future that currently cannot. This is a major breakthrough, but does not have an immediate practical use outside of research.

A much better analogy for this breakthrough is that they've added a new letter to the alphabet and now new words can be made that couldn't be made before. The problem now is that someone needs to invent the words before people can start using them.

How about they reprogram the dna of autoimmune diabetics so they are cured of diabetes? I'm afraid that the rich pharmaceutical companies and the companies that own the rights to their "insulin" product may not want the disease cured. It is my fear that this sort of tech will only be used for something bad before it is used for anything good in the world. I sincerely hope there is an update to this story down the road that shows that it has been used to help humanity in one way or another.