Dr Pat Thomas added: “While many scientists have good intentions, the science can be repurposed to harm, and even for warfare.”
Scientists in the UK have launched an ambitious project to create synthetic human DNA from scratch, aiming to unlock treatments for diseases such as heart failure and autoimmune disorders.
Over the next five years, teams from Oxford, Cambridge, and other universities will develop tools to build large DNA segments in the lab and insert them into cells to study how they function.
The ultimate goal is constructing entire human chromosomes, laying groundwork for a fully synthetic human genome.
“This is about developing therapies that will improve people’s lives as they age,” said Dr Julian Sale of Cambridge’s MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology.
But critics warn the technology could lead to designer babies or biological weapons.
“The genie is out of the bottle,” said Professor Bill Earnshaw of the University of Edinburgh.
Dr Pat Thomas added: “While many scientists have good intentions, the science can be repurposed to harm, and even for warfare.”