Biohacking at home: Pragmatic DNA design, assembly, and transformation

It is predicted that the ability to read/write DNA cheaply at scale will revolutionize biology, but what happens after the DNA has been printed? I will explain the basics of genetic engineering at home and how it can be useful now and in the future. This talk will cover building a basic lab, DNA design and assembly, transformation of actual living organisms, and the relevant safety and security concerns. If time permits, I will talk about open source projects and engineering principles as applied to genetics. I will also briefly explain how this applies to human genome editing, even though I have been referring to the genetic engineering of microbes. This talk should provide you with a better understanding of genetic engineering and how to get started at home or a local hackerspace.

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