A Biohacker Regrets Publicly Injecting Himself With CRISPR
When Josiah Zayner watched a biotech CEO drop his pants at a biohacking conference and inject himself with an untested herpes treatment, he realized things had gone off the rails.
Zayner is no stranger to stunts in biohacking—loosely defined as experiments, often on the self, that take place outside of traditional lab spaces. You might say he invented their latest incarnation: He's sterilized his body to "transplant" his entire microbiome in front of a reporter. He's squabbled with the FDA about selling a kit to make glow-in-the-dark beer. He's extensively documented attempts to genetically engineer the color of his skin. And most notoriously, he injected his arm with DNA encoding for CRISPR that could theoretically enhance his muscles—in between taking swigs of Scotch at a live-streamed event during an October conference. (Experts say—and even Zayner himself in the live-stream conceded—it's unlikely to work.)
So when Zayner saw Ascendance Biomedical's CEO injecting himself on a live-stream earlier this month, you might say there was an uneasy flicker of recognition.
Ascendance Bio soon fell apart in almost comical fashion. The company's own biohackers—who created the treatment but who were not being paid—revolted and the CEO locked himself in a lab. Even before all that, the company had another man inject himself with an untested HIV treatment on Facebook Live. And just days after the pants-less herpes treatment stunt, another biohacker who shared lab space with Ascendance posted a video detailing a self-created gene therapy for lactose intolerance. The stakes in biohacking seem to be getting higher and higher.
"Honestly, I kind of blame myself," Zayner told me recently. He's been in a soul-searching mood; he recently had a kid and the backlash to the CRISPR stunt in October had been getting to him. "There's no doubt in my mind that somebody is going to end up hurt eventually," he said.
The cat's out of the bag, dawg! You're just another anti-progress bio-Luddite now!
Previously: Biohackers Disregard FDA Warning on DIY Gene Therapy
"Biohacker" Injects DIY Herpes Vaccine in Front of Audience and Facebook Live
Related Stories
"Cease & Desist" has not worked:
Despite a warning from the federal government about do-it-yourself gene therapy, two companies say they'll continue offering DNA-altering materials to the public.
The companies, The Odin and Ascendance Biomedical, both recently posted videos online of people self-administering DNA molecules their labs had produced.
Following wide distribution of the videos, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week issued a harshly worded statement cautioning consumers against DIY gene-therapy kits and calling their sale illegal. "The sale of these products is against the law. FDA is concerned about the safety risks involved," the agency said.
Does the Executive Branch want the market to decide, or not?
"Biohackers" are growing bolder with their self-experimentation:
Aaron Traywick, 28, who leads biotech firm Ascendance Biomedical, used an experimental herpes treatment that did not go through the typical route of clinical trials to test its safety. Instead of being developed by research scientists in laboratories, it was created by a biohacker named Andreas Stuermer, who "holds a masters degree and is a bioentrepreneur and science lover," according to a conference bio. This is typical of the Ascendance approach. The company believes that FDA regulations for developing treatments are too slow and that having biohackers do the research and experiment on themselves can speed up the process to everyone's benefit. In the past, the company's plans have included trying to reverse menopause, a method that is now actually in clinical trials.
"We prefer to do everything before a live audience so you can hold us accountable in the days to come as we collect the data to prove whether or not this works," Traywick said before last night's spectacle. And, he added, "if we succeed with herpes in even the most minor ways, we can move forward immediately with cancer."
Despite specifying that he wanted "technical questions," someone in the audience asked whether Ascendance had received ethical permission for the experiment. Traywick said he didn't. Technically, everything has been officially labeled "not for human consumption," he said.
Also at The Scientist.
Related: Gene Therapy to Kill Cancer Moves a Step Closer to Market
Biohackers Disregard FDA Warning on DIY Gene Therapy
Aaron Traywick, a biohacker who once injected himself with an untested herpes therapy on a crusade to expand access to medications, was found dead on Sunday morning in Washington, DC, police confirmed to BuzzFeed News.
Traywick, 28, was found in a spa in Northwest DC, according to police. Staff discovered him in a sensory deprivation flotation tank, according to his colleague Tristan Roberts.
His body was taken for an autopsy, and his cause of death was not immediately known. Their investigation is still ongoing, but the police say they don't suspect foul play.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/stephaniemlee/aaron-traywick-biohacker-died
Previously: "Biohacker" Injects DIY Herpes Vaccine in Front of Audience and Facebook Live (Aaron Traywick)
Biohacker Regrets Injecting Himself With Gene Therapy in Front of a Live Audience (Josiah Zayner reacting to Aaron Traywick)
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 23 2018, @12:50PM
What are you waiting for...? This rancid, feces-filled, parasite-infested asshole of mine isn't going to inject itself with sticky goodies! Get your fetid, disease-ridden cock over here and experience the sensation of it being enveloped in mushy feces! What say you?
(Score: 5, Funny) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Friday February 23 2018, @01:14PM (2 children)
According to my extensive research, I'm sure this "biohacking" must inevitably result in the genesis of at least one supervillain.
(Score: 5, Funny) by JNCF on Friday February 23 2018, @01:19PM (1 child)
Herpes-Man, Herpes-Man, does whatever some herpes can...
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 23 2018, @06:18PM
He's the bad guy who you keep thinking you've finally gotten rid of him, but he keeps coming back!
Perfect movie villain.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by inertnet on Friday February 23 2018, @01:58PM
His experiment seems to have worked and made him less irresponsible.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 23 2018, @02:06PM
What exactly are they injecting? For all we know it is pbs/dmso/whatever. I don't see how these injection stunts prove anything. Also if you inject sufficent cas9 to do anything I am sure there will at least be local necrosis.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday February 23 2018, @02:06PM (1 child)
The shark has been jumped, and someone strapped a laser to its head. Zayner will need a new shtick now that people are copying his old one.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 23 2018, @06:25PM
Meanwhile, another DIY healer who claimed vegan juices cured her breast cancer (and lesbianism) died of breast cancer [standard.co.uk].
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 23 2018, @02:08PM
The guy didn't use it to replace his Y chromosome with a donated X one considering how many falling head over heels to get 'more women in stem'. Even if they are not interested in it.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 23 2018, @02:45PM (8 children)
If someone is "crazy" enough to inject themselves with some untested, home-brewed concoction why be surprised when they go off the rails, lock themselves in a lab or whatever?
What could possibly go wrong?
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday February 23 2018, @03:49PM (5 children)
What could possibly go wrong?
They could become psychotic, and gain superhuman strength and other physical attributes, gain possession of some advanced weaponry including a flying board and glowing green grenade, and then fly around causing terror and calamity, while yelling, "Out, am I?"
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 23 2018, @04:25PM (3 children)
OK, OK ... but besides that, what could possibly go wrong?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 23 2018, @05:51PM (2 children)
I was going to say "They could then run for president" but I think that would be an improvement over what's currently in office.
(Score: 1) by DECbot on Friday February 23 2018, @06:00PM (1 child)
WAIT! You mean the orange skin is natural?!?
cats~$ sudo chown -R us /home/base
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Friday February 23 2018, @07:07PM
I thought it was an homage to Matt Groening [stackexchange.com].
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by JNCF on Friday February 23 2018, @08:17PM
The Green Hemoglobin strikes again? This looks like a job for... Herpes-Man!
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 23 2018, @06:01PM (1 child)
They use to call these people junkies. But now it's "biohacker"?
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 23 2018, @07:00PM
"I'm addicted to vaccines, man. But if I can't get that I'll settle for high-grade gene therapy."
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 23 2018, @03:26PM (1 child)
Jeez, cut down on that fluff in the summary.
(Score: 4, Touché) by takyon on Friday February 23 2018, @07:22PM
No 😎
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]