New Do It Yourself Kit Allows DNA Modification At Home

A new industry has emerged for people who want to modify their bodies in hopes of improving their life, such as weight loss or enhancing brain functions or other changes. I am not recommending this, just sharing because I was amazed to find we can now modify our own DNA through a process called CRISPR, which is being marketed as do it yourself kits to modify your DNA at home, like the one shown in the photo above, which is explained in more detail below.

Our DNA is the biological code that defines our physical bodies and all the systems operating in us. Each of us received this code from our parents. CRISPR modifies the code in a small strand of cells, which initiates a process by which it is then replicated as the changes are applied to the rest of our body. It sounds like uploading a new app to our mobile device, but much freakier.

The whole process sounds dangerous to me, like playing God without being able to see the full extent of the consequences. It raises the question, how much can we modify our own code before we are no longer the person God created us to be? Is it possible to cross a line, going beyond the point of no return, in which we become something other than human, something that no longer qualifies for God’s plan of redemption? Those are questions I would want answered before even thinking about making any changes to my DNA. Even then, I’ll pass on this one.

The kit shown above is called the DIY Bacterial Gene Engineering CRISPR Kit and sells for $169, as explained by the following description.

Comes with an example experiment that teaches you many molecular biology and gene engineering techniques.

Want to really know what this whole CRISPR thing is about? Why it could revolutionize genetic engineering? This kit includes everything you need to make precision genome edits in bacteria at home including Cas9, gRNA and Template DNA template for an example experiment.

Includes example experiment to make a genome mutation(K43T) to the rpsL gene changing the 43rd amino acid, a Lysine(K) to a Threonine(T) thereby allowing the bacteria to survive on Strep media which would normal prevent its growth.

Kit contains enough materials for around 5 experiments or more

LB Agar
LB Strep/Kan/Arabinose Agar
Glass bottle for pouring plates
Non-pathogenic E. coli DH5a bacteria
Inoculation Loops/Plate Spreader
10-100uL variable volume adjustable pipette(1uL increments)
Box of 96 Pipette Tips
14 Petri Plates
Microcentrifuge tube rack
Nitrile Gloves
Microcentrifuge tubes
50mL Tube for measuring
Bacterial transformation buffer 25mM CalCl2, 10% PEG 8000
LB Media for transformation recovery
Cas9 plasmid
gRNA plasmid
Template DNA

Author: James Bailey

James Bailey is a blogger, business owner, husband and father of two grown children. In 1982, he surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus Christ. In 2012, he founded Z3news.com to broadcast the message of salvation by reporting end time news before it happens.

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