Is public “biohacking” good or bad?

Probably something like this biohackers present their actions

There are many examples in the history of medicine of the self-sacrifice of scientists. They conducted experiments with their bodies, to which none of the volunteers would have agreed. In some cases, even if consent were obtained, the experiment itself could look illegal in the eyes of law enforcement officers. Nowadays, the most famous example is the intake of the culture of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori Barry Marshall. He fell ill, then he cured himself and eventually won the Nobel Prize.

All this is sometimes necessary for scientific progress to continue. But most often known are only successful cases, experiments. Presumably, there were many more failures, just nobody knows about them. For hundreds of years of the existence of medicine, experimenters-losers may have thousands.

Now the number of those who do not mind experimenting with themselves has increased many times over. These people have been (recently) called biohackers. They conduct very risky experiments on themselves. This applies to sports, diet, consumption of various kinds of substances, and even injections of genetic material. Biohackers themselves (some of them) are considered the pioneers of medicine and other fields of science. Someone does this because he considers it right and wants to try something new, and someone wants to become famous.

Whatever it was, but in some cases, such experiments become known. Some biohackers even become something of a celebrity. The Internet helps to disseminate information about this kind of scientific or near-scientific research.

Biohaker Josiah Seiner, who attracted media attention to himself with rather strange experiments , not so long ago tried to modify his own DNA using CRISP right at the conference. He injected the genetic material into his leg. Zayner considers himself both a scientist and a social activist. In his opinion, the use of genetic materials capable of modifying human DNA should be entitled to all who so desire.

Zayner is actually a scientist - he has a doctoral degree in biochemistry and biophysics. When he injects something into his body, he perfectly imagines what he is doing and why. But those people who are watching these actions do not always realize what is happening at all, why, and whether it can be repeated. As a rule, it is not worth repeating, because being an enthusiast is one thing, but an enthusiastic scientist is another. In the first case, you can cause irreparable damage to your body.

Colleagues of Seiner in the workshop (not biohackers, but scientists) stated that such things should not be performed in public, since the use of such “gene therapy” can lead to unpleasant consequences.

Other biohackers also inject themselves with untested drugs, which will not necessarily behave in the body of a “hacker” as he wishes. Not so long ago, Ascendance Biomedical CEO Aaron Treivik introduced himself to a genetic drug that, in his opinion, should cure herpes. He did it right at the conference, which was held in Texas.


Aaron Treivik after the introduction of genetic material into your body

At the end of October last year, another biohacking enthusiast, Tristan Roberts, along with two other enthusiasts, introduced himself to a genetic “serum”, which they consider to be a means against HIV. Two more people, Brian Henley and Elizabeth Parrish introduced into the body a genetic drug that, in their opinion, should extend human life.

Anyway, the majority of representatives of the scientific sphere came out against such speeches of biohackers, considering the consequences of such actions unpredictable and even harmful. It is not known what harm to the body can cause poorly studied drugs. So far, no one has died, which is already good, but to mock your body, attracting hundreds and thousands of those who consider biohacking to be an effective method to bring the future of humanity to the same lesson, is not worth it.