Ukwenziwa kofuzo okusheshayo: I-synthetic DNA ingase ibe ukhiye wokunakekelwa kwezempilo okungcono

• About the Author:
• Igama lomlobi

  I-Quantumrun Foresight
• January 16, 2023

Isifinyezo sokuqonda

Ukwakheka kwamakhemikhali e-DNA nokuhlangana kwayo kube izakhi zofuzo, izifunda, ngisho nawo wonke ama-genome kuye kwayishintsha kakhulu isayensi yamangqamuzana ezinto eziphilayo. Lezi zindlela zenze kwaba nokwenzeka ukuklama, ukwakha, ukuhlola, ukufunda emaphutheni, nokuphinda umjikelezo kuze kube yilapho kufinyelelwa umphumela oyifunayo. Le ndlela isenhliziyweni ye-synthetic biology innovation. 

Umongo wokuhlanganiswa kofuzo osheshayo

I-synthesis iguqula ikhodi yofuzo yedijithali ibe i-DNA yamangqamuzana ukuze abacwaningi bakwazi ukudala futhi bakhiqize izinto eziningi zofuzo. Idatha etholakalayo ye-DNA inwetshiwe ngenxa yobuchwepheshe bokulandelana kwesizukulwane esilandelayo (NGS). Lokhu kuthuthukiswa kuholele ekwenyukeni kolwazi lwebhayoloji oluqukethe ukulandelana kwe-DNA okuvela kuzo zonke izinto eziphilayo nendawo ezungezile. Abacwaningi manje sebengakwazi ukukhipha, ukuhlaziya, futhi balungise lokhu kulandelana kalula ngenxa yokusebenza kahle kakhulu kwesofthiwe ye-bioinformatics.

Ulwazi olwengeziwe lwesayensi yezinto eziphilayo abaluthola “emthini wokuphila” (uxhaxha lwama-genomes), yilapho beqonda kangcono ukuthi izinto eziphilayo zihlobene kanjani nezakhi zofuzo. Ukulandelana kwesizukulwane esilandelayo kusisize ukuba siqonde kangcono izifo, i-microbiome, kanye nokwehlukahlukana kwezakhi zofuzo. Lokhu kulandelana kwe-boom futhi kwenza iziyalo zesayensi ezintsha, njengobunjiniyela be-metabolic kanye ne-synthetic biology, zikhule. Ukufinyelela kulolu lwazi akukhona nje ukuthuthukisa ukuxilonga nokwelapha kwamanje kodwa futhi kuvula indlela yentuthuko entsha yezokwelapha ezoba nomthelela ohlala njalo empilweni yomuntu. 

Ukwengeza, i-synthetic biology inamandla okuba nomthelela ezindaweni eziningi, njengokwenza imithi emisha, izinto zokwakha, nezinqubo zokukhiqiza. Ikakhulukazi, ukuhlanganiswa kwezakhi zofuzo kungenye yobuchwepheshe obuthembisayo obusiza ukwakha nokuguqula ukulandelana kofuzo ngokushesha okukhulu, okuholela ekutholweni kwemisebenzi emisha yebhayoloji. Isibonelo, izazi zebhayoloji zivame ukudlulisa izakhi zofuzo kuzo zonke izinto eziphilayo ukuze zihlole imibono yofuzo noma zinikeze isampula yezinto eziphilayo izici ezihlukile noma amakhono.

Umthelela ophazamisayo

Ukulandelana kwe-DNA emifushane eyenziwe ngamakhemikhali kubalulekile ngoba kuguquguquka. Angasetshenziswa kumalabhorethri ocwaningo, izibhedlela, kanye nezimboni. Isibonelo, zasetshenziselwa ukukhomba igciwane le-COVID-19. Ama-Phosphoramidite ayizingqimba zokwakha ezidingekayo ekukhiqizeni ukulandelana kwe-DNA, kodwa azinzile futhi aphuka ngokushesha.

Ngo-2021, usosayensi u-Alexander Sandahl wasungula indlela entsha enelungelo lobunikazi yokwenza ngokushesha nangempumelelo la mabhulokhi wokwakha ukuze kukhiqizwe i-DNA, okusheshisa kakhulu inqubo ngaphambi kokuba lezi zingxenye zihlakazeke. Ukulandelana kwe-DNA kubizwa ngokuthi ama-oligonucleotides, asetshenziswa kakhulu ukuhlonza izifo, izidakamizwa zokukhiqiza, nezinye izinhlelo zokusebenza zezokwelapha neze-biotechnological. 

Enye yezinkampani ezihamba phambili ze-biotech egxile ekwenzeni i-DNA yokwenziwa i-Twist Bioscience ese-US. Inkampani ixhumanisa ama-oligonucleotide ukuze kwakhe izakhi zofuzo. Intengo yama-oligos iyehla, njengesikhathi esithathwayo ukuzenza. Kusukela ngo-2022, izindleko zokuthuthukisa amapheya esisekelo se-DNA amasenti ayisishiyagalolunye kuphela. 

I-DNA yokwenziwa ye-Twist inga-odwa ku-inthanethi futhi ithunyelwe elebhu ngezinsuku, ngemva kwalokho isetshenziselwe ukwakha ama-molecule aqondiwe, okuyizingqimba zokwakha izinto ezintsha zokudla, umanyolo, imikhiqizo yezimboni, nemithi. I-Ginkgo Bioworks, inkampani yobunjiniyela bamaselula enenani lama-USD ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingama-25, ingelinye lamakhasimende amakhulu e-Twist. Khonamanjalo, ngo-2022, i-Twist yethula izilawuli ezimbili zokwenziwa ze-DNA zegciwane lemonkeypox lomuntu ukusiza abacwaningi ukuba bakhe imithi yokugoma kanye nokwelapha. 

Imithelela yokuhlanganiswa kofuzo okusheshayo

Imithelela ebanzi yokwenziwa kwezakhi zofuzo ngokushesha ingase ihlanganise: 

• Ukuhlonzwa okusheshayo kwamagciwane abangela izifo eziwubhadane nezifo eziwumshayabhuqe, okuholela ekuthuthukisweni okufika ngesikhathi kwemithi yokugoma.
• Ama-biotech amaningi kanye neziqalo ezigxile kubuchwepheshe bokuhlanganiswa kwezakhi zofuzo ngokubambisana namafemu e-biopharma.
• Ohulumeni bajaha ukutshala imali kumalebhu abo okwenziwa e-DNA ukuze bakhe imithi nezinto ezisetshenziswa ezimbonini.
• Izindleko ze-DNA yokwenziwa ziba phansi, okuholela entandweni yeningi yocwaningo lwezakhi zofuzo. Lo mkhuba ungaphinda uholele kuma-biohackers amaningi afuna ukuzilinga ngokwabo.
• Ucwaningo lwezofuzo olwandisiwe oluholela ekuthuthukisweni okusheshayo ekuhleleni izakhi zofuzo nobuchwepheshe bokwelapha, obufana ne-CRISPR/Cas9.

Imibuzo okufanele icatshangelwe

• Yiziphi ezinye izinzuzo ze-DNA yokwenziwa ekhiqiza ngobuningi?
• Ohulumeni kufanele bawulawule kanjani lo mkhakha ukuze uhlale unesimilo?