Designer Genes: How Drew Endy Uses Uses DNA To Make New And Improved Versions Of Life

Words By Rebecca Cathcart

When Drew Endy envisions the future, he sees giant gourds engineered to grow into four-bedroom, two-bathroom houses. He sees people alerted to nascent tumors in their bodies by internal biological sensors, and cars fueled by bacteria-produced gasoline. Endy, 37, is a pioneer in synthetic biology, a field that combines biology, chemistry, and engineering to remake biological systems to act according to human design. In other words, he's a little like God, if God were a geek.

For Endy, who has roots in civil and environmental engineering, biology offers the most sophisticated building materials in the world, potentially far more useful than anything created by modern technology. Endy is attempting to create a biological programming language by identifying, cataloging, and standardizing small sequences of DNA that tell a cell to perform a specific task.

After joining the faculty at MIT, in 2004, Endy co-founded the Registry of Standard Biological Parts, an open-source catalogue of DNA segments with specific functions, such as those that make DNA strands fold into shapes like microscopic origami or cause cells to change color. These "BioBrick" parts, as Endy calls them, are fitted with special links at either end where they may be easily connected with other DNA segments, much in the manner of lego blocks. The segments snap together to form more complex instructions, so that scientists can manipulate exactly what task a cell performs. "We've started to collect genetic words that speak to the cell and tell it to do something," he says. For example, Endy's colleague Jay Keasling has found a way to reengineer E. coli so that they naturally produce an anti-malaria drug. Soon, huge vats of bacteria will be making the medicine, at a fraction of the current cost.

But that's a fairly rare example. For now, the use of BioBricks is limited, because making DNA is difficult. DNA synthesizers can use the genetic information of BioBricks to create new DNA--the idea is akin to the "replicators" from Star Trek that caused food to appear on command--but today's machines are rudimentary; they work slowly and create only a small amount of DNA. We're a long way from having Earl Grey tea materialize, mug and all. Though Endy--through Codon Devices, a biotech company he co-founded in 2004--is working to improve DNA replication technology, no one is yet close to assembling sophisticated biological systems.

But as the science and technology mature, the questions that surround biological engineering and DNA synthesis become more complex. Controversy already surrounds the genetic modification of crops, a relatively simple and straightforward process. Synthetic biologists, by contrast, aim to engineer life itself from whole cloth, which brings up obvious ethical questions, not to mention the possibility that deadly new pathogens could be created and released into the environment, intentionally or by mistake. Endy acknowledges that these risks are real, and even likely, but he believes they are outweighed by the possible benefits synthetic biology can bring to future generations.

In fact, Endy believes that the best counter to these risks is for the synthetic biologists not to shy away from the potentially dangerous research, but rather to help ensure that it is used in the right way. Endy takes this a step further, by promoting a free, open exchange of information about DNA sequences, allowing synthetic biologists to focus on problems-solving rather than profit, and closely monitor any impending disasters. To that end, he also serves as president of the BioBricks Foundation, an organization of scientists and legal experts working to develop technical standards and legal protections for genetic sequences. "When we arrive at the future with a first generation of parts that can work together," he says, "we'll have the parts open and free, and people will be able to build what they want." And Endy has many ideas about what that future will look like: "Imagine large-scale cities grown from bio-matter," he muses. "Or, how about bacteria that smell like bananas? That sounds nice."

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Comments

[Cathexis]

What happens when a genetic sequence that Monsanto puts in corn, preventing it from being used as Seed Corn by frugal farmers (and forcing farmers to buy from the company year after year, rather than work from seed saved from last year's harvest) finds an accidental vector that allows it to escape into the environment and effectively start sterilizing wild grasses out in the wild?

What happens to our resources when the genetic sequence they discover and sell for humans to stay trim becomes widespread, allowing people to gorge until they vomit but never gain weight? Will food supplies become strained, from widespread hedonistic lifestyles? Will something go wrong where we HAVE to gorge ourselves, to keep our bodies from starving?

What happens when the fun phosporescent gene they market to kids turns out to induce melanomas, 30 years later?

My point is: Business will not take the time or money to think of questions like this. They will do what they do today: They will externalize the risk of unknowns to Society, raking in profits while we bear the "costs."

DNA is Life. And Life reproduces/spreads in unexpected ways.

[Cathexis]

I'm of mixed mind on this ...

On one hand, I have always been a big Science buff and have always loved Biology-related fields. I think Science has a lot to offer, to help mankind.

On the other hand, I have been in Business for several decades now and I have seen what happens when Science meets Business -- Science gets bent over the old apple-barrel and forced to become Business' bitch.

Money becomes the metric. Corners get cut. Timetables must be met. Testing is abbreviated, if it isn't sidestepped completely. Gotta get it to market and gotta increase profits.

But DNA-products aren't software, mechanical, or electronic products. If a software application is rushed to market and hasn't been well-thought out, it may bomb. It may not work. Customers may lose valuable data. If a mechanical vehicle is rushed to market, it may result in the injury or death of its operator.

But the Earth isn't permanently compromised.