ABOVE: An Asilomar conference to self-regulate science might not be as effective these days, but agreement on the safe uses of synthetic biology is needed.
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A study published last week expands the redesign of the 4-billion-year-old genetic code from a four-nucleotide base-pair alphabet to an eight-base-pair alphabet by incorporating artificial nucleotides. The scientists, led by Steven Benner of the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution and Firebird Biomolecular Sciences in Florida, have also identified a bacteriophage RNA polymerase variant that transcribes the synthetic DNA into synthetic RNA.
Previously, a scientific team led by Floyd Romesberg at The Scripps Research Institute used its own synthetic base pairs to create bacteria that replicate the artificial DNA, translate the DNA into mRNA, and create new types of amino acids.
These are technologically impressive accomplishments and the translational applications of these discoveries could be revolutionary. In their paper, Benner and colleagues discuss the ...
