Brian Hanley (biohacker)

Brian Hanley
Nationality United States
Occupation CEO of Butterfly Sciences

Brian Hanley is an American microbiologist and founder of Butterfly Sciences. He became known for trying to engineer his own DNA using gene therapy in an effort to enhance himself and extend his life.[1] These types of efforts are known as biohacking.

Biography

Hanley was 61 years old as of February 2017[2] and holds a PhD in Microbiology from University of California, Davis.[3][4][5]

In 2009 he founded Butterfly Sciences in Davis, California to develop a gene therapy to treat cachexia in people with AIDS.[5] He is also a prolific online commenter and has publications in epidemiology, biotechnology and economics as well as a portfolio of patents.[1][5]

Self-experimentation

Hanley said that when he could not raise money for Butterfly, he decided to obtain proof of concept by testing the gene therapy on himself. He said that he designed the plasmid containing a gene coding for growth hormone–releasing hormone and had it made by a scientific supply company for around $10,000.[1]

He said that he corresponded with the FDA prior to starting his self-experimentation, and that the FDA told him he needed to file and get approval for an Investigational New Drug (IND) application before he tested the plasmid on a person; not having obtained an IND, he proceeded without it.[1]

He submitted his protocol to a private institutional review board (IRB), the Institute of Regenerative and Cellular Medicine in Santa Monica, California, not disclosing that the only experimental subject was himself.[1] IRBs review proposed clinical research plans to ensure sound, ethical research. Conflict of interest issues are examined in the course of IRB review, and Hank Greely, a professor of law at Stanford University, said that IRB members would have reviewed Hanley's protocol differently had they known that the protocol was for self-experimentation due to the conflict of interest issues.[1]

A plastic surgeon whom Hanley met while working out at a gym administered the plasmid to Hanley's thigh using electroporation.[1] The plasmids were administered twice: once in summer 2015 and a second larger dose in July 2016.[1][6][7]

Hanley claimed that the treatment has helped him. He also said that he subsequently injured himself four times, including herniating an intervertebral disc while trying to lift a refrigerator, an effort which he attributed to feeling good.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Regalado, Antonio. "One man's quest to hack his own genes". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  2. ↑ "Vedec hľadá elixír dlhého života: DETAILY nebezpečného experimentu a prvé výsledky!". Topky.sk. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  3. ↑ "Brian Hanley". ieet.org. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  4. ↑ "Brian Hanley - Info". ResearchGate. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 "Company | Butterfly Sciences". bf-sci.com. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  6. 1 2 Friend, Tad (3 April 2017). "Silicon Valley's Quest to Live Forever". The New Yorker. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  7. ↑ "Scienziato transgenico per l'elisir di lunga vita: "Così ho modificato le mie cellule"". Repubblica.it (in Italian). 12 February 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
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