DIY Biohackers Are Editing Genes in Garages and Kitchens

With the latest breakthroughs in the life sciences, who needs a lab or degree?
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"A biohacker for me is somebody who is doing something clever or interesting in biology," says Josiah Zayner, a molecular biophysicist who runs The ODIN, a company that sells do-it-yourself genetic engineering kits. "They're usually these people that have been fucked by the system who are trying to unfuck themselves."

Zayner is one of the leading figures in the biohacking movement and is the main organizer of the BioHack the Planet Conference, a yearly gathering of citizen scientists. This year, over 100 members of the biohacking community met in Oakland, California to discuss a wide array of issues from at-home genetic engineering to questions on bioethics.

Biohackers have often been compared to computer hackers of the 1980s, but instead of breaking into and manipulating information technology systems, they're focused on hacking living organisms with the hopes of curing illnesses and in some cases obtaining superhuman powers.

Their shared mission is to put this technology into the hands of as many people as possible.

"People should be able to use all the technologies that science develops," says Zayner. "It shouldn't just be patented and given to companies or exclusively given to certain people."

These do-it-yourself biologists say the democratization of science has given them the freedom to do work on projects that are often ignored by larger institutions. They're using gene editing technologies like CRISPR to create personalized treatments for those suffering from rare diseases or cancer, reverse engineering pharmaceuticals like Epi-Pens so people can make their own medicine at home, and even creating glow in the dark beer.

"I think this is the most exciting time thus far in the history of the world to be alive with respect to what we can and will do with life forms," says Hank Greely, the director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford University.

But breakthroughs in the world of biohacking are drawing more scrutiny from federal regulators. Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration began placing restrictions on non-human genetic modifications and declared that genetically edited animals must be classified as drugs. This gives the agency broad authority over a number of do-it-yourself genetics tests and requires experiments involving animals to go through the same vetting process as a new drug.

"I guess they couldn't call them cosmetics and they couldn't call them foods, so they're like dogs are drugs," states David Ishee, a Mississippi canine breeder who is working on editing out genetic diseases in dogs. "Everybody's worried about what someone could do with this technology and nobody seems to care about the damage that not doing it will cause because these animals are dying."

Increasing regulation could undermine biohacking breakthroughs for humans as well.

"I'm a huge fan of deregulation because I believe in the inherent goodness of capitalism," says Zayner. "Stuff doesn't progress unless people do useful things with it."

Produced by Alexis Garcia and Justin Monticello. Camera by Garcia, Monticello, and Zach Weissmueller.

[LunaticHero]

Easy answer. To hell with the FDA. Keep learning everyone!

[irone]

FDA is the biggest supporter of krony capitalism

[jesseward]

The lack of Libertarians in the comment section is disturbing.

[materialdialectics]

"I hate that companies are using their weight in order to get regulations that benefit them and take technologies out of the hands of regular people"




"I love capitalism"


We live in such a fucking ideologically confused society. Love what the guy is doing, and I think he has a great mentality behind it. It's just a weird hyperreality induced juxtaposition.

[twn]

The glow in the dark beer is really going to change the world!

[sanyaua]

I wish my cat glowed in the dark so I don’t trip over her at night

[xcalibrx]

"Genetically edited animals must be classified as drugs" shit. I bet there's a market for glow in the dark cats.

[insanelife]

All I can say is keep records of everything, you never know what these experiments could uncover good or bad.

[Skinnymarks]

Ugh. So want to do that. I'm really damn good at biology so i probably could self teach myself. Just need to find the community

[anonamuss]

This video resonated with me in a very profound way. 3 years ago I was diagnosed with a mitochondrial disorder. I was told that identifying and 'fixing' the damaged gene is relatively easy and inexpensive. The issues are: 1. The Australian medical system is set up to fork out millions of dollars in palliative care but apparently isn't set up for personalised gene treatment outside of the meagre amount if trials on offer which is zero for mitochondrial disease.
2. I was told by a public hospital endocrinologist that I could have my mitochondrial genome sequenced if I was a child but (direct quote) "as an adult we won't be wasting those resources on you".
I was told that I might live for a few years yet and that I would be contacted if I wasn't too sick (or dead) if/when they come up with something.
There are many hundreds of ud dying in paun, knowing thatthere will be no cure for us because the medical establishmen hasn't figured out how to exploit us for enough financial gain to make it worth their while.
When I remind doctors that I'm dying anyway I generally have recieved a speech/lecture on ethics, rules and the fact that they know more about everything than any patient.
It sucks when a life is worth less than the cost of a crispr kit.
I wrote this without rereading/editing it. I hope it makes sense. Thank you for posting your video.

[danielszulc]

if you got some easy to follow CRISPR tutorial that can teach my antibody cells to attack cancer-specific protein that only my cancer cells got, I'm all ears.

[TickedOffPriest]

I thought dems believed in "My Body, My Choice".

[Competitive_Antagonist]

I'd love to be able to go to one of these workshops and create cannabinoid producing yeast.

[typhooni]

I admire people like this more, than any degree will ever accomplish.

[shortmashins]

I'm all for pro genetic engineering, but for every positive results there's always negative consequences. A cutting of the sequences of genes for a particular disease will probably inevitably bring out new disease due to the changes in the genetic coding.

[caldelt]

How do I find a lab that can edit genes for muscular dystrophy?

[core]

Ight time to make a time machine and introduce this technology to old times and we can probably have immortality or tentacles I want tentacles

[Justicar]

Seems to me this is a three sided issue. There is the good many would like to do with this kind of thing. There is the effort of the government to strangle innovation so they can control the gateways of competition for those who pay them to do so. Then there is what actually happens with so many people playing around with something that could be this dangerous. The best solution lays somewhere between those. Both the potential for good and the potential for disaster are tremendous here.

[Eatmorepaper]

Everything they said was smart except for the “I believe in the inherent goodness of capitalism.” Part

[eb-olpo]

Their shared mission is to put this in the hands as many people as possible? If an "ordinary person" in the US can buy a gun by "honestly" fill out a 4473 and pass a measly background check and use that gun in a crime, what makes anyone think that having this technology available to as many people as possible won't be misused?