CRISPR-modified human embryonic stem cells showed resistance against radiation(scmp.com)
scmp.com
CRISPR-modified human embryonic stem cells showed resistance against radiation
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3215286/chinese-team-behind-extreme-animal-gene-experiment-says-it-may-lead-super-soldiers-who-survive
8 comments
Found a 2016 article on Japanese research, which is less hyperbolic, https://cen.acs.org/articles/94/i44/Water-bear-genomes-start...
> Kunieda’s team started to investigate genes unique to the tardigrade. One such gene coded for a protein called damage suppressor protein, or Dsup. The protein appears to hang out with DNA in the nucleus of cells, and its sequence predicts that it contains a highly basic α-helix that could interact with DNA. Thinking that Dsup may play a role in protecting tardigrade DNA from damage, the team engineered cultured human embryonic kidney cells to express the Dsup gene and found that the cells had higher survival rates when exposed to X-rays compared with nonengineered cells. In particular, the cells had 40% less X-ray-induced DNA damage.
2016 paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12808 & https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2016.20648
> Kunieda’s team started to investigate genes unique to the tardigrade. One such gene coded for a protein called damage suppressor protein, or Dsup. The protein appears to hang out with DNA in the nucleus of cells, and its sequence predicts that it contains a highly basic α-helix that could interact with DNA. Thinking that Dsup may play a role in protecting tardigrade DNA from damage, the team engineered cultured human embryonic kidney cells to express the Dsup gene and found that the cells had higher survival rates when exposed to X-rays compared with nonengineered cells. In particular, the cells had 40% less X-ray-induced DNA damage.
2016 paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12808 & https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2016.20648
Title revised based on article subhead: "CRISPR-modified human embryonic stem cells showed resistance against radiation".
https://archive.is/iXFRh
https://archive.is/iXFRh
This is a way of making people who can withstand exposure to ionizing radiation. It's kind of sad that in the year 2023 people are still focused on the warfare aspect of this, instead of thinking "we could use this to engineer new humans perfectly suited for space colonization."
[deleted]
Only works if the human end up looking like a water bear
It's behind some subscription wall but I assume it's a change that maybe improves DNA repair or similar. Probably there have been science results in the past where scientists, including Chinese scientists, have made similar advances. Maybe in those simpler times they would have had headlines like "Scientists Introduce Novel Gene Treatment That Protects Against Cancer" and people would hop into the comment section to say it's only in mice. But now we got "Chinese team behind animal gene experiment says it may lead to super soldiers" for presumably similar studies. Probably these changes in headlines emphasis and spin don't mean anything good.
EDIT:
After reading the article I saw it's like I thought but I don't see the actual mutation (which exact changes to which gene) and I don't see the original research article published in the 'Chinese-language journal Military Medical Sciences in October'. It was on a cell culture of human stem cells in a test tube.
> "This gene 'plays a protective role in cellular DNA against oxidative stress, which is central to the development of many diseases, including cancer, ageing, diabetes, inflammation and Parkinson’s disease,' they wrote."
EDIT2:
I couldn't find the article in the October 2022 issue of Military Medical Sciences (https://jsyx.magtechjournal.com/EN/volumn/volumn_87.shtml) maybe if someone finds it they could please link it.