by Craig Klugman, Ph.D.
In the book (and film) Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, dinosaur DNA from in insects that bit the dinosaurs and are now preserved in amber. Scientists are then able to extract the dinosaur DNA and using West African bullfrog DNA to fill in the blanks in the genome, they recreate many dinosaurs in a park. The book and film were works of science fiction adventure since the dinosaurs go out of control. The story is a warning about the hubris of playing with DNA and bringing back the past.
While Jurassic Park hasn’t been built yet, a new art exhibit in Germany features a display of the most famous ear in history, that of Vincent Van Gogh. The irony of this exhibit is of course that in a moment of insanity, Van Gogh took a razor blade to his own left ear cutting off part of it (or more recent theories suggests Paul Gauguin may have done it). The science fiction side of the story is that this particular ear on display was created in a laboratory.
Artist Diemut Strebe used a 3-D printer to make a mold of the artist’s ear, based on photographs. He then used cartilage cells from Van Gogh’s distant grandson and infused them with Van Gogh’s cells obtained from an envelope he licked (used to have to do that to activate the glue on the seal and stamp). The cells were then added to the mold, attached with a sugar polymer. The seeded mold is placed into a bioreactor where the cells grow to take on the shape of the mold and the scaffold dissolves. Several weeks later, the artist had an organic Van Gogh ear that is on display in a clear glass case, bathed in a nutrient bath.
As if that wasn’t enough, a microphone allows visitors to speak to the ear and after the waves pass through the nutrient bath, a computer converts the sound waves into nerve impulses that are then broadcast on a speaker. Yup, Van Gogh’s new ear can actually hear.
Is Jurassic Park far behind? By design, the artwork does evoke a visceral response and it does create an opportunity for conversation about this new technology. The method is exciting since it is also used to create artificial organs and body parts (ears, skin, tracheas, and bladders to name a few). Creating a new body part that will be used to replace a damaged organ in a living person provides benefit to that person. In fact, this technique will eliminate the need for organ donation since one can simply print a new organ when needed.
But taking DNA from the past and using it create a new organ that is a novelty item or a vanity project seems like another thing entirely. For example, could I choose to have a Van Gogh ear replace my own? There could be an entire cosmetic industry of having famous bodyparts grown to replace your own. Such a use seems spurious and failing in a risk/benefit analysis. Maybe I would want a copy of a famous nose or foot to display in my mansion. If there’s a will and some money, then there will be a way.
Until the technology is viable, the conversation begun by Strebe will continue and rest we will have to play by ear.