Gene editing human embryo with a water bear gene in China
Chinese scientists think of radioactivity-resistant warriors created by genetic engineering. It appeared as though actuality was mimicking art in a report the late March 2023 about the potential for making warriors impervious to radiation through genetic engineering.
It reminds us “The Expanse”, a well-liked science fiction tv programme based on a similar book series. In “The Expanse”, bad people produce an army of troops who survive on radiation and don’t need spacesuits in the far future as conflict between Earth and Mars approaches.
These malicious researchers do this by employing a substance known as the “proto molecule” to change captive humans. These so called “hybrid soldiers” are merciless killers who can disseminate the “proto molecule” to people and infect them with it.
According to research by a team from the Academy of Military Sciences in Beijing, Chinese scientists say extreme animal gene research conducted by a Chinese team may produce super troops that can withstand nuclear fallout.
They modified human embryonic stem cells demonstrated superhuman resistance to radiation. A scientist from Shanghai claims that the study might result in problems, especially if money is revolved.
A group of Chinese military medical researchers, inserting a gene from the tiny water bear into human embryonic stem cells dramatically improved the cell’s radiation resistance.
Success in this novel experiment, it was said may produce very hardy troops capable of withstanding nuclear fallout.
An unsafe gap and stunning result
The toughest animal on Earth is the water bear, also known as a tardigrade or moss piglet. It has eight legs and is less than one centimetre long. It has withstand temperatures of -200 degrees Celsius, more than an hour in boiling water, and space flight over the course of years of scientific testing.
A gene that can produce shield-like proteins to defend the water bear’s cells from radiation and other environmental harm is a contributing factor to the animal’s hardiness.
The Chinese researchers claimed to have used CRISPR/CAS9, a gene-editing technique currently common in bio-labs, to successfully insert this gene into human DNA.
According to a team led by professor Yue Wen at the radiation biotechnology lab at the Academy of Military Sciences in Beijing, approximately 90% of human embryonic cells bearing the water bear gene survived a deadly dose to X-ray radiation in their laboratory trial.
The researcher, who wishes to remain unnamed due to the sensitive nature of the technology, stated this is amazing considering the big difference between the water bear and a human.
Embryonic stem-cells are collected from an early human embryo that can develop into any cell type. These can be cultured in a lab and have been used widely in scientific studies on human development.
Adding an strange gene from the water bear into human embryonic cells could lead to harmful mutations, or even kill the cells because of the genetic gap between the two different species.
Yue’s team was awarer of it according to their paper. The shielding proteins are unique to the water bears. The immunity response after cross-species expectation is unknown, and it can lead to some safety issues.
Some previous studies suggested the genetic transfer between widely different animals was likely to fail.
Yue’s team said that their investigation revealed human cells to be unexpectedly receptive to the water bear gene. The team’s research indicated that the edited cells functioned correctly and even developed more quickly at some developmental stages.
Genetic investigation revealed no Changes in the modified cells’ chromosomes. According to Yue’s team, the expression does not impair cell vitality but can, to some extent, promote cell proliferation.
Based on these results, the study will proceed to the next phrase.
The gene for anti-ageing superman
The team’s goal is to convert the water bear gene-modified embryonic stem cells into blood-producing cells as one of its upcoming initiatives. When reacting to nuclear accidents and nuclear terrorism, military troops, civilians, and emergency personnel may experience acute radiation sickness.
According to their article, the modified cells might be incorporated into bone marrow to produce new blood cells that are radiation-resistant, increasing the likelihood that humanity would survive the apocalypse.
The researchers speculated that there may be further advantages for humans from the water bear gene. This gene protects cellular DNA against oxidative stress, a factor in the onset of numerous illnesses such as cancer, ageing, diabetes, inflammation and Parkinson’s disease.
Divide in ethics
According to a Beijing based life scientist, interest in the study has increased since Yue and his associates published their results in the Chinese language journal Military Medical Science in October 2022.
Yue’s experiment was totally legal because it used only cell lines that had been artificially cultivated in a test tube. The study is quite motivating. The scientists claimed that it might open up a lot of new opportunities.
Safety in health of new hybrid species is not guaranteed. The researcher, who also requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the subject, stated that the experiment’s goal was to alter human DNA.
A scientist in Shanghai claimed that the study may have created problems, particularly when money is concerned. It first makes a medical cure claim. Capital will then join and participate. She warned that the game might not have a joyful conclusion.
Source: South China morning post, popular mechanics
