DNA backup

[sobrique]

So, DNA - it sort of degrades as you age, and that's mostly why you get old and die, and is a cause of cancer and stuff.

So... how difficult is it to make a copy of it, like 'right now' for the sake of say - future organ cloning?
If you could replace failing body parts with 'you aged 20' would you have a substantial improvement on quality of life?

And give that, does it make sense to take backups _now_ despite not necessarily being able to make use of them? Such as exhaustive DNA sequencing, and saving a copy in an archive somewhere, in the hope that in 30 years time, you'll be able to 'load' it, and grow a heart transplant or similar.

And even if this is utter hokey nonsense, does it sound plausible enough that someone is already running it as a scam?

Comments

[purp1e-magic.livejournal.com]

Don't know much about it (or rather I know as much about it as your other comments include) but it sounds to me like cryogenics: freeze my body and hope they work out how to defrost me.

[sobrique.livejournal.com]

Sort of, but not exactly. I think it's plausible that we be able to use "good" DNA to clone organ replacements. DNA also degrades with time, and mutates, and shortens. So yes it's a bit like that but to my mind liable to be ... less about freezing and resurrection, and more about preemptive maintenance.

[dj-rws.livejournal.com]

Technically making a copy of your DNA is plausible and then regrowing bits of you by as yet undeveloped technologies will probably be possible in our lifetime. However what biologically makes you, you is not enitrely down to "genetic" information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigenetics
(Explains things to degree level chemistry/biology)

There are more complex biological factors such as protein-protein interactions, post-translation genetic modifications such as methylation (methyltransferases), (de)/acylation (HDACs) and protein (mis)/folding (thought to be involved in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative disorders).

Life is more than just a box of chocolates.