May 22, 2010 / 06:02 am
A team of U.S. researchers has announced the creation of a cell controlled by completely synthetic DNA, an advance which ethicists are calling a “double edged sword.”
Announced in “Science” magazine, Dr. J. Craig Venter and a team of scientists have successfully transplanted a completely man-made set of DNA that is a copy of the DNA from a bacteria into a host cell. After the transfer, the host cell was then effectively controlled by the new DNA. The new cell is called a “synthetic cell” though only its genome is truly synthetic.
Fr. Thomas Berg, Director of the Westchester Institute for Ethics and the Human Person, told CNA that the development “is scientifically fascinating, ethically neutral, and can be a part of something more serious.”
Dr. Venter is hopeful that the modified cell will pave the way for the creation of cells with as yet unseen genetic imprints that will be useful for manufacturing pharmaceuticals, creating alternative energy sources, and cleaning up the environment.