I republish here my “manifesto” like article on biotech DIY, which I wrote in April, 2006 on Newsvine in order to see the thoughts behind the placenta stem cell project.
Would you like to sequence your genome in your garage? To grow your stem cells in the kitchen-lab? To hunt for point mutations just for your own sake? Welcome to the coming world of personal biotech.
All you need is a short course in biotech basics, a few thousands of bucks, some tinkering capability, and enough spare time. The beautiful retro idea of tinkering with digital devices in a garage, conveyed by the Make magazine, can be extended to biotech too.
The know-how of hacking seemingly complicated electronic devices has been made accessible to non-pros. The needs were fuelled by the idea of personal fabrication. However, needs are constantly changing, and biotech is gaining more and more ground in everyday life.
