Month: December 2015

4lung:

catsecretary:

misfitreindeer:

phoenixcollective:

Transgender people may soon take do-it-yourself supplements using
genetically modified tobacco plants, which they can grow in their homes
to produce gender hormones like estrogen and testosterone. This comes
from a project of a biologist to develop transgenic tobacco plants due
to lack of access of many people to the healthcare they need.

The biologist and artist from Baltimore in the US, Ryan Hammond, is
aiming to produce supplements easier with the genetically modified
plants, Motherboard
reports. He found tobacco essential for the project due to earlier
discoveries of the capacity of the plant to produce pharmaceuticals.

The project comes from the growing concern that some doctors might be
transphobic and many experts lack the experience and skills to provide
patients the necessary medication.

Tobacco plants have already been used to produce collagen, hemoglobin
and Ebola vaccines. Hammond will insert genes into the tobacco using
plant pathogen Agrobacterium.

The first round of the tobacco products will not be distributed until
determined safe for human trials. Hammond wants to refine the process
based on its prototype to make the plants safe for human consumption.

Hammond has a background in art and has been exploring synthetic
biology and new techniques in a community biohacking lab in Baltimore
called BUGSS. The biologist has launched a crowdfunding to raise
US$22,000 (approx. AU$30,231) for the project, covering his training,
lab access and living costs for a year at Pelling Lab in Ottawa, Canada.

Please reblog, spread the word, and consider donating to make this a reality!

The crowdfunding is currently at 3% of its goal and ends on January 14th, 2016, which means we have plenty of time to make this happen.

wait lemme roll up a testosterone cig real quick

Smoke until it femmes me slow