George Church, born in 1954, is a geneticist, molecular and chemical engineer, and a renowned professor in genetics at Harvard University (USA). He is considered a pioneer in synthetic biology, a discipline whose goal is to create synthetic organisms and DNA in the laboratory.
His contributions to this area of science date back to the 1980s, with the publication of the first direct method of genomic sequencing . Church thus promoted the launch of the Human Genome Project, which sought to identify and map the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes that compose it. He has participated in the creation of some 20 biotechnology companies, and is the co-author of more than 290 publications and 50 patents . He was also one of the first volunteers to make his DNA public through the Internet.
He is currently working on the development of accelerated DNA sequencing and synthesis procedures, and today has a technology that allows him to read and write DNA a million times faster than seven years ago. Advances in engineering have led him to affirm in his latest statements that he will undoubtedly witness the birth of the first Neanderthal baby . He also advocates the cloning of this test tube specimen in order to create an authentic prehistoric society that yields invaluable biological information and allows us to take advantage of the supposed superior intellectual capacity of our predecessor.
Despite the ethical debates raised by his projects and the social rejection of cloning, Church sees in the modification of the genome the beginning of a new era of progress that allows the manufacture of improved plants, animals and even human beings . As the title of his latest book says, synthetic biology will make us reinvent ourselves and reinvent nature.
George Church will speak about all his controversial theories during the IV Congress of Brilliant Minds that will take place in Madrid on the 7th, 8th and 9th of this month.
