Can AI Rewrite Our DNA? GATTACA No Longer Sci-Fi

From Gene To Whole Genome Editing

Until recently, genetic modifications were rather crude, inserting a new genetic sequence randomly into the target organisms. The method of insertion was also very destructive. As a result, only bacteria and plants would be routinely genetically modified, and any gene editing in organisms like mammals (including humans) was complex, expensive, and slow.

This has partially changed with CRISPR technology, which suddenly opened the way for precise and controlled gene editing, resulting in the first gene therapy for human genetic disease being approved at the end of 2023.

However, CRISPR is still not enough for editing more than one, or maybe a handful of genes. A complete overhaul of the genome still seemed out of reach.

This might have just changed with a breakthrough discovery from Chinese researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. They announced a new method allowing for modifying huge chunks of entire chromosomes, opening the way for gene editing to be replaced by whole genome editing.

They published their results in the prestigious scientific review Cell¹, under the title “Iterative recombinase technologies for efficient and precise genome engineering across kilobase to megabase scales”.

Gene Versus Genome Editing

Thanks to CRISPR and other associated technologies, like “base editing”, it has now become possible to modify a specific gene without unwanted non-targeted editing, or leaving damage to the targeted genetic sequence. Multiple genes being edited all at once is even becoming possible.

However, moving or editing a larger chunk of a chromosome tends to be inefficient, resulting in it being unlikely to be done in vivo for complex organisms, as most cells will not be modified or get damaged in the process.

The most common system used is the so-called “Cre-Lox” genome editing system using the Cre recombinase from a bacteriophage, and repeating sequences of LoxP sites in genomes.

Source: Vector Builder

The symmetry of the lox sites can sometimes lead to reversible recombination reactions, reversing the desired edits.

Cre proteins, being made of 4 sub-units, can also make the engineering efforts difficult, hindering activity optimization.

Another limitation of current genome editing methods is “scarring” (recombination sites), where the point of removal and insertion in the chromosome gets damaged by the process, potentially resulting in catastrophic damage to the resulting cell, even if the genome editing process worked.

Improving Cre-Lox for Large-Scale Genome Editing

New Upgraded Tools

First, the researchers built a high-throughput platform for rapid recombination site modification and used an asymmetric Lox site design.

This way, they developed novel Lox variants that reduce reversible recombination activity (unwanted reversal) by over 10-fold while retaining high-efficiency forward recombination (the intended goal).

Secondly, they used an AI-assisted recombinase engineering method (AI-informed Constraints for protein Engineering – AiCErec) to generate Cre variants with 3.5x the recombination efficiency of the previously used type.

Source: Cell

Lastly, they used the high-editing efficiency of prime editors to precisely replace residual Lox sites with the original genomic sequence.

Bringing Innovations Together

Together, these three innovations allowed for scarless kilobase-to-megabase DNA manipulations in plants and human cells.

It includes deletions, replacements, inversions, and translocations at the chromosomal level.

The researchers tested the tools for various levels of genome editing:

• Targeted integration of large DNA fragments up to 18.8 kb
• Complete replacement of 5-kb DNA sequences
• Chromosomal inversions spanning 12 Mb
• Chromosomal deletions of 4 Mb
• Whole-chromosome translocations.

So it is now proven that these tools can flip, remove, or insert massive pieces of genetic code in both plants and animals.

Source: Cell

Among the examples of genome editing that the researchers did as a test, they engineered rice that’s resistant to herbicides by flipping a huge section of its DNA (a 315-kb precise inversion), something that was nearly impossible before.

Future Applications

It is actually hard to fully grasp the potential of this new technology. The reason is that it can replace entire segments of a chromosome seamlessly, and seemingly in a very controlled fashion.

This opens the way to a sort of genetic engineering that was previously completely out of reach, making it potentially as impactful as the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of CRISPR.

One example of such an edition could be to entirely replace the way some plants or organisms fight a given pathogen, transferring between varieties or species a whole block of genetic material to create entirely new traits.

Another option could be to change in the germline (at conception or the embryo level) entire segments of chromosomes that are clustered together and control specific traits.

If tried and authorized in humans, this could, for example, change resistance to certain cancers, the immune system, risks of certain diseases like Alzheimer’s, physical traits like hair & skin color, or even genes for intelligence and other mental traits.

Until now, the research for traits that are controlled by multiple genes, especially complex ones like the immune system or intelligence, linked to hundreds of different genes, has been hindered by the limited application that such discoveries could have.

But if whole genome editing becomes possible, discovering how to replace an entire chromosome at once could help create optimal genetic material, as long as we understand enough which traits are desirable or not.

Ethical Questions

Obviously, this will already be controversial regarding plants or animals. And more so if considered for humans.

However, there will also be tremendous pressures and interests from many people for the possibility to offer their children longer and healthier lives, or a competitive advantage in intelligence or looks compared to their “unedited” peers.

This has previously been discussed in science fiction, notably in the movie GATTACA, which explores such a future where only “perfect” humans are given access to the upper levels of society, irrespective of their actual talents.

Source: Frame Rated

Such an outcome is undesirable. But if done in an ethical and measured way, such technology could instead have tremendous potential in increasing human longevity, improving health at the population level, and virtually permanently solving all genetic diseases, which are currently causing millions to suffer daily.

Investing in Genomics and BioTech

If genome editing becomes a thing, mass testing of genomes to detect problematic genetic sequences likely to cause diseases will become commonplace.

It might also become a regular test done on every newborn, even if mass gene editing is not accepted, and only authorized for life-threatening conditions, but not for looks or intelligence.

As a result, the companies holding a strong position in genome sequencing would be the first ones to benefit.

Illumina

While the other -omics in multiomics (proteomics, transcriptomics, etc.) are important, almost all articulate one way or another around genomics, the core “instruction manual” of every living cell.

And by far, the largest producer of genome sequencing machines is Illumina. The company is focused on short genetic sequence reading, which is the one used for cancer detection. It currently has 22,000+ installed sequencers in 165 countries.

Around half of Illumina’s sequencing machines’ consumables are used in clinical applications, with the other half used in public and private research labs. In clinical applications, half of the demand comes from oncology.

Source: Illumina

As genomics and multiomics become the center of the drug discovery process, as well as cancer diagnostics, Illumina’s equipment is expected to be in high demand. The company expects the demand for NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) to grow by 18% CAGR for clinical applications and 6% CAGR for research, boosting the sector’s total addressable market (TAM) from $100B for clinical and to $25B for research by 2033.

Source: Illumina

Illumina had a complicated history with liquid biopsy company Grail (GRAL -0.36%), which was a spin-off from Illumina, later reacquired, and now forced back into a spin-off by competition authorities in the US and the EU.

With this trouble out of the way, Illumina might resume its long-term growth and stock price rise, especially as, ultimately, Grail’s liquid biopsy tests will likely still rely on Illumina sequencers.

(You can also read a more detailed analysis of Illumina’s business, future technologies and history in the dedicated investment report).

Latest Illumina (ILMN) Stock News and Developments

Study Referenced

^{1. Chao Sun, Hongchao Li, Yijing Liu, Yunjia Li, Rui Gao, Xiaoli Shi, Hongyuan Fei, Jinxing Liu, Ronghong Liang, Caixia Gao. Iterative recombinase technologies for efficient and precise genome engineering across kilobase to megabase scales. Cell. August 04, 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.07.011}