Is Die Another Day's gene therapy more than 5 minutes into the future? MI6 investigates...

Gene Therapy - Bond Science
30th January 2003

In "Die Another Day", Colonel Moon transforms himself into Gustav Graves with a new technology called "gene therapy". Have the Bond producers stretched their mantra of "5 minutes into the future" too far this time?

In the film, gene therapy is used by Colonel Moon and Zao to give themselves not just new identifies, but new DNA. The technique described by the fictional Dr Alvarez consists of extracting the bone marrow and "wiping the genetic slate clean", ready for a DNA implant from a not-so willing donor.

Some fibre optics, glowing plexiglass, chemical drips and a few weeks later, Moon had new DNA and a transformed body. Zao was not so lucky however, as Bond intercepted his treatment during the interim stage before he was given new DNA. Does this mean Zao ran around with DNA? "The Bond screenwriters have the terminology all wrong. What they are talking about is actually a ''whole genome conversion" - said leading genealogy experts - who asked not to be identified for fear of being ridiculed. Right: A graphical representation of a strand of DNA.

After more than ten years of extensive human gene therapy and research, real life scientists have only managed to add a single gene to the DNA a small number of patients - far from entire genome conversion "Die Another Day" boasts.

Gene therapy is far from safe though. If the DNA of a human is wiped clean, there would be no immune system to fight infection or disease during the "genome transplant". This risk is already proving the most difficult hurdle the scientists face. Rumours abound in the human gene therapy community that the technology is being developed behind closed doors - in the interest of national security.

On a more light hearted note, Simon Gregory - who is one of the world's leading geneticists at The Welcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge - said, ''It's obviously being utilised by MI6 and the CIA. Just how many Bond's, Moneypenny's, and Felix's have there been over the years?''.