Among other things, I'm a genetic engineer. If you are unsure of what that means, here's a layman definition: genetic engineers alter the genetic material (DNA) of an organism, usually for some sort of benefit. Millions of people rely on the work performed by genetic engineering. There are applications in agriculture, medicine (ALL insulin-using diabetics rely on genetically engineered insulin), and even art. This technology can even be used for nefarious purposes; for example, creating superbugs that medicine cannot cure. I swear that I only use my super powers for good - like making flying lizards!
Meet my pet lizard Jubba:
The other day I was in the lab with Jubba trying to come up with my newest creation. I had all my favourite enzymes ready. Since I only use my powers for good, I decided to try and engineer my flying lizard to produce recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. Although I think my flying lizard Jubba provides enough benefit to society to win me the Nobel Prize, I just want to secure the Prize by saving a few stroke victims along the way.
I had my lab set up just like this, including all of my reagents:
And here's the DNA sequence I was using:
5’-ATGGATGCAATGAAGAGAGGGCTCTGCTGTGTGCTGCTGCTGTGTGGGTACCTCGCTC
GAGTTTCGCCCAGCCAGGAAATCCATGCCCGATTCAGAAGAGGAGCCAGATCTTACCAAG
TGATCTGCAGAGATGAAAAAACGCAGATGATATACCAGCAACATCAGTCATGGCTGCGCC
CTGTGCTCAGAAGCAACCGGGTGGAATATTGCTGGTGCAACAGTGGCAGGGCACAGTGCC
ACTCAGTGCCTGTCAAAAGTTGCAGCGAGCCAAGGTGTTTCAACGGGGGCACCTGCCAGC
AGGCCCTGTACTTCTCAGATTTCGTGTGCCAGTGCCCCGAAGGATTTGCTGGGAAGTGCT
GTGAAATAGATACCAGGGCCACGTGCTACGAGGACCAGGGCATCAGCTACAGGGGCACGT
GGAGCACAGCGGAGAGTGGCGCCGAGTGCACCAACTGGAACAGCAGCGCGTTGGCCCAGA
AGCCCTACAGCGGGCGGAGGCCAGATGCCATCAGGCTGGGCCTGGGGAACCACAACTACT
GCAGAAACCCAGATCGAGACTCAAAGCCCTGGTGCTACGTCTTTAAGGCGGGGAAGTACA
GCTCAGAGTTCTGCAGCACCCCTGCCTGCTCTGAGGGAAACAGTGACTGCTACTTTGGGA
ATGGGTCAGCCTACCGTGGCACGCACAGCCTCACCGAGTCGGGTGCCTCCTGCCTCCCGT
GGAATTCCATGGATCCTGATAGGCAAGGTTTACACAGCACAGAACCCCAGTGCCCAGGCA
CTGGGCCTGGGCAAACATAATTACTGCCGGAATCCTGATGGGGATGCCAAGCCCTGGTGC
CACGTCTAGACTCGAGGAACCGCAGGCTGACGTGGGAGTACTGTGATGTGCCCTCCTGCT
CCACCTGCGGCCTGAGACAGTACAGCCAGCCTCAGTTTCGCATCAAAGGAGGGCTCTTCG
CCGACATCGCCTCCCACCCCTGGCAGGCTGCCATCTTTGCCAAGCACAGGAGGTCGCCCG
GAGAGCGGTTCCTGTGCGGGGGCATACTCATCAGCTCCTGCTGGATTCTCTCTGCCGCCC
ACTGCTTCCAGGAGAGGTTTCCGCCCCACCACCTGACGGTGATCTTGGGCAGAACATACC
GGGTGGTCCCTGGCGAGGAGGAGCAGAAATTTGAAGTCGAAAAATACATTGTCCATAAGG
AATTCGATGATGACACTTACGACAATGACATTGCGCTGCTGCAGCTGAAATCGGATTCGT
CCCGCTGTGCCCAGGAGAGCAGCGTGGTCCGCACTGTGTGCCTTCCCCCGGCGGACCTG-3’
I was ready to start when all of a sudden Jubba launched from the tabletop, flying right past me! He's not the most trained of winged lizards. After collecting myself, I found that Jubba had knocked all of my reagents together into one big mixing pot! There goes my Nobel Prize. I figured that I might as well let the mixture incubate at 37 C for about an hour, because I didn't want to put the reagents to waste. After analyzing the results, I decided to hide a cache at the coords I observed. It's not a Nobel Prize, but it's a start.
**Disclaimer: This page is a joke. Don't take anything of what I say seriously. Although we do use genetically engineered organisms, we do so responsibly. And I don't have a flying lizard as a pet. He's a flying frog.