Genes in the human body could soon be controlled by light, allowing the structures to be easily activated. So far, this effect has only been noted under laboratory conditions, but the process could, potentially, be used one day in the human body.
Light could be used to greatly accelerate healing, grow tissues, and study functions within genes.
"This technology should allow a scientist to pick any gene on any chromosome and turn it on or off with light, which has the potential to transform what can be done with genetic engineering," Lauren Polstein, a doctoral student at Duke University, said.
A genetic engineering system called Crispr/Cas9 is utilized by bacteria to identify virus, and chop apart their DNA. This same system was used by researchers to target specific sections of the gene.
Light allows researchers to precisely control the activation of genes, including the ability to "turn on" specific sections of the gene, while leaving other areas inactive.
A pair of proteins within some plants link together at certain times of day, providing a means for the life form to recognize daylight and nighttime. This process can be used to control flowering and other biological processes. Researchers attached one of these proteins to the Crispr/Cas9 system, and the other to proteins that activate genes. This provided the ability to activate and deactivate genes simply by controlling a light switch.
Stem cells growing in laboratories could be directed by the use of light, allowing researchers to develop the exact cells they wish to create.
"One of the limitations of tissue engineering right now is that typical methods make a chunk of bone, cartilage or muscle, but that's not what tissues look like naturally. There are several cell types mixed together, gradients of tissues between interfaces, and blood vessels and neurons that penetrate through them," Gersbach told the press.
Different forms of biological materials could be created in cultures using light to direct their development in the laboratory, during tissue engineering.
If the process develops into a form which could be utilized in the human body, it may be possible to develop a device like the medical tricorder from Star Trek, which could heal wounds with light. Several methods of treating wounds with nanotech have been developed in recent years, potentially radically changing treatment methods for wounds and disease. However, this new technique is faster and less expensive than previous advances in the field.
Development of methods of controlling genes using light was published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.
