The dangers of biohacking ‘experiments’ and how it could harm your health
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By Rohan Anand, PhD Candidate in Clinical Research, Queen’s University Belfast
Biohacking or ‘do it yourself’ biology has been on the rise in recent years – it now even has various organised conferences. Following a recent VICE News documentary about a start-up company called Ascendance Biomedical – who are self-testing drugs – biohacking has had further exposure outside of its circle of devout followers.
Biohacking is an open innovation and social movement that seeks to further enhance the ability of the human body. This includes humans trying to get cyborg-like features, achieve hyper human senses, and also seek out new medicines and cures for disease via the promotion of self-experimentation.
According to their website, Ascendence Biomedical are currently exploring HIV/AIDS and herpes elimination, and ‘muscular optimisation’. It sounds futuristic and appealing, but those critical of the approach say a major concern is that the methods of the biohacking community are housed outsid...
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