Mutation Lock, as the name suggested, was a lock placed on genes to prevent malignant mutations from occurring.
From the scattered information in the data, Song He recalled two technologies he had read about. They were probably the prototypes of Mutation Lock.
The first was an article published in Nature in July 2021 describing Xon Technology.
Xon was a universal switch element that provided RNA and protein diversity by including and excluding different protein-coding exons, as well as different 5′ and 3′ noncoding exons.
Put simply, when this thing came into contact with a specific small molecule, it could precisely control gene replacement!
To put it crudely, suppose a gene fragment was a child who loved farting, while Xon was a thug who hated the smell of farts. Once the gene-child could no longer hold it in and produced a mutation, Xon would smell the stench and strike hard, smashing the child's head into its own anus and sealing the leak.
The second was the CRISPRoff Gene Editing technology mentioned in a paper in Cell in April 2021.
This technology did not modify genes. It merely prevented certain genes from being expressed.
To put it crudely, suppose genes were children who loved throwing loud tantrums, while CRISPRoff was a bandit who hated noise. After being locked in the same room, the bandit would directly suffocate the child to death.
After taking the ransom, the bandit would hand the corpse to the parents. When the parents cried and shouted, "Give me back my child," the bandit would say, "The child is perfectly intact right here. None of the arms or legs are missing. They just can't cry anymore."
Song He had used both technologies before, but each had its flaws, and neither had matured much over the years.
Mutation Lock was