Controversy around the 'biological unlocking' activity in the United States

The 'bio-cracking' activity is controversial in the United States to the point that some states, particularly California, have started a new law to warn those who like to modify their genes at home.

Many people want to edit their own genes at home. Photo: vox.com

Biological unlocking

According to Vox, the term biohacking may include a series of activities, from performing a scientific experiment on yeast to changing the biological characteristics of the body such as transplanting chips into limbs. , take smart medicine, fertilize, pump young people's blood into the body to fight old age ...

The most controversial and controversial types of biotic unlockers in the US today are those who use their bodies to do experiments in the hope of upgrading or optimizing their physical and intellectual abilities.

Silicon Valley in California is the place where the bio-unlocking movement "takes off". This is where there are many famous biocontrol advocates, such as Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. This is also the place where technology evolves, suitable for those who unlock biology - those who have psychological disapproval of the body's defects.

Billionaire Serge Faguet, who intends to use bio-cracking techniques to immortalize, said: "People in Silicon Valley have a technical mindset, so they think everything is an editable technical issue" .

One of the most "infamous" biological unlockers, Josiah Zayner, lives in California and is under investigation after being accused of practicing medicine without a permit. He runs a company called Odin in the Oakland housing garage, selling bio-unlocking equipment like a homemade genome repair kit for $ 1,849. In 2017, he injected himself with CRISPR DNA for himself at a biotechnology conference and streamed it online. That same year, he sold the CRISPR kit to correct human genes, making the muscles bigger.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a statement saying it is illegal to sell a set of homemade genetic tools to use with people. Zayner dismissed the warning and continued to sell kits. Only after receiving a letter from a customer saying someone was injured, did he stop selling the product.

According to the researchers, gene interventions in potential biological cracks are at risk for practitioners. When introducing new genetic material into your DNA or finding ways to correct the wrong part of the DNA, the person performing the risk of serious intervention in the body can cause a tumor. Many biological unlocking experiments do not have medical evidence, which can lead to complications or life-threatening.

Prohibited law

The state of California is enacting a law that prohibits a person from interfering with his or her own genes at home. The bill prohibits the sale of self-made gene editors unless there is a clear warning not to do it themselves.

This is a remarkable move in the effort to manage the issue of biological unlocking, especially when no one seems to be selling kits that California wants to ban.

The bill is the Republican Senator Ling Ling Chang's proposal and was signed on July 30 by Governor Gavin Newsom, effective from January 2020. This is the first law in the US aimed at CRISPR gene correction technology.

Ms. Chang wrote on Facebook: "CRISPR genomics editing techniques are increasingly popular, but many in the scientific community have warned that it could have consequences if done outside the professional lab. The first law to manage this emerging CRISPR technology will help prevent the danger posed by an amateur. "

Many biological unlockers believe that the ban will be counterproductive because it will push this activity into secrecy. They think it is better to encourage transparency so people can ask how to do something safely.

Ellen Jorgensen, a molecular biologist, thinks that most people with biometric unlocking are aware of safety and not those who like to create disease. They even have moral code.

However, politicians like Ms. Chang and agencies like the FDA think they need to act. In February, FDA issued a statement calling on people to stay away from blood transfusions of young people. In June, the FDA banned clinical trials of stool culture after two people had serious infections and one died.

Although there are clear laws governing biological unlocking activities, there is no way to prevent people from pursuing this activity secretly.