Re: [DIYbio] Re: least risky human hello world?

I would say a "human hello world" should have these characteristics:

1) Transient transfection with a plasmid, rather than integrating DNA (safer, easier)
2) Target dividing cells (easier to transfect)
3) Target easily-observable cells (probably on body surface)
4)  Transgene should be safe and essentially non-interactive with the host (so not growth factor, cytokine, etc)
5)   Effect should be observable even if only a small % of cells get transfected.

I think best approach may be targeting skin with luciferase or fluorescent protein plasmid.  There are already techniques developed in animals for injecting plasmids into the skin, then electroporating.  Injection is necessary to get the plasmid to the live, dividing cells underneath the top layer of dead/dying keratinized cells.  It may be difficult to get enough expression to actually see with the naked eye...easiest would be using a sensitive detector for luciferase activity.

Mega, I like the creativity of your idea, and the lack of transgene protein expression (so no immune response) is certainly a plus.  However,the probability of actually getting a reduction in influenza seems low.  The paper you quoted got a maximum of about 1% alveolae expressing their transgene, so if it were siRNA the other 99% of the lung would still be susceptible. Also, this is transient plasmid expression, so after a few weeks all protection will be gone.  Proving there was actually a protection from flu would require a clinical trial with appropriate controls, recruitment, legal paperwork, etc. etc...way beyond DIY capability.  Finally...kind of nit-picking here...but most flu strains target the upper airways, not the lung.

Not sure about legality.  This is great stuff to think about and discuss, but the DIY setting seems better for  non-human experiments right now.

Mike


On Sunday, September 14, 2014 5:16:52 PM UTC-4, Mega [Andreas Stuermer] wrote:

Well silencing RNA very very likely won't trigger an immune response. Usually it takes protein structures for antibodies to recognize. To put it that way it would be safer than putting GFP in your skin. 

GFP is a foreign protein and your immune system may some day recognize the GFP and kill all cells that carry it. Bad if they already make up like 5% of your skin. Necrosis. 

I think the influenca silencing would be the safest diy hello world transhumanist project xD  

Second opinions? 

Btw, you say in America I am allowed to genetically alter my skin cells or lung cells? 

On Sun, Sep 14, 2014 at 9:50 PM, Nathan McCorkle <nmz...@gmail.com> wrote:

On Sep 14, 2014 4:18 AM, "Mega [Andreas Stuermer]" <masters...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Want to be resistant to influenza for life? Influenza usually propagates in the lungs. Express silencer RNA against few influenza-proteins. Delivery method: http://www.pnas.org/content/93/21/11454.full.pdf 
>
> Use a vector that doesn't integrate (potentially giving you cancer). 
>
>
> Would that count as a "hello world"?

Hello world is usually simple enough that it works, but simple and benign enough not to cause much difficulty.

Working with disease or immune response is a little far from the simplicity I'd be comfortable with trying.

> Btw, it is illegal in most of the world.

What do you mean? In the U.S. unless a chemical is on the scheduled list, I'm pretty sure it's free to be used internally. I wonder if the NRA (gun rights advocates) would support gene guns as a constitutionally-protected implement.

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