“A dollar a base pair”によれば、DNA受託合成の値段はここ5年ほどで暴落しており、1塩基あたり1.5ドル以下でDNA合成を受託している会社もあるという。
しかも、このような世界的リスクのある危険なDNA受託合成が楽天ショッピング同様簡単にオーダーできるのだから恐ろしい。GovernmentLevelでしっかり管理すべきでしょう!
“A dollar a base pair”〔New Scientist magazine, 09 November 2005, pg 8〕
Biochemists have long known how to build DNA from its component "bases" - the chemical letters of the genetic code. By adding the bases in a prescribed order and carefully performing a series of chemical reactions, they can create precisely tailored stretches of DNA.
The process became significantly less laborious with the debut of the automated DNA synthesiser in the 1980s. But a full gene - a DNA sequence up to several thousand base pairs long - involves a formidable jigsaw puzzle.
Commercial gene synthesis has only really taken off in the past few years with advances in automating this assembly process. And as the main players jostle for position, the costs of gene synthesis are plummeting. Prices have dropped about tenfold in five years, and some firms now supply genes for less than $1.50 per base pair.