The Wellcome Trust, a major medical charity, has provided £10 million in 2025 to support the Synthetic Human Genome Project, which aims to artificially create the human genome.
The project's goal is to facilitate the treatment of incurable diseases and improve people's quality of life. Scientists are building increasingly large blocks of human DNA, eventually synthesizing a human chromosome.
This has sparked significant ethical and societal debates. Critics fear the research could open the door to unethical practices. Concerns also exist regarding the safety and potential for exacerbating social inequalities.