How to Remake Life

Researchers at J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, have made the first viable cell with a synthetic genome. The newly developed techniques allow researchers to edit genomes on a computer, subtracting or adding genes by literally cutting and pasting them in a file. The researchers can then perform the genetic equivalent of printing out the file, at which point they're able to transplant the result, a new genome, into existing cells. The process starts on the computer, where researchers pulls up the genome of the bacterium Mycoplasma mycoides. To create a watermark distinguishing their creation, they developed a code that converts English into the four letter alphabet of DNA and used it to modify the genome, incorporating their names, a URL, a few sentences, and an e-mail address into the genome. They then use software to divide the modified genome into 1,100 sections, each about 1,080 base pairs long. The next step for the Venter Institute researchers is to use their genomic editing, synthesizing, and transplanting techniques to design and test genomes with fewer and fewer genes.