On Jun. 26, 2025, a team of UK-based scientists announced they are developing technology to create the first synthetic human chromosome. The ability to write large genomes has the potential to transform our understanding of human health, opening opportunities to develop cell therapies, climate-resistant crops and more.

Ever since the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, researchers have been investigating the possibility of writing genomes. Now, scientists are developing the technology to make it possible.  Wellcome is providing £10 million funding to the new Synthetic Human Genome Project (SynHG) to develop the foundational tools, technology and methods to enable researchers to one day synthesise genomes. 

Building a full synthetic human genome is expected to take decades. Over the next five years, the SynHG project will build the foundational tools to enable this work. While this is a huge challenge, the potential benefits are profound. A fully synthetic human genome – and the research to create it – would transform our understanding of health and disease. 

The project is led by Professor Jason Chin from the Generative Biology Institute at Ellison Institute of Technology and the University of Oxford, in collaboration with a team of researchers from Cambridge, Kent, Manchester, Oxford and Imperial College London. 

As technologies develop, the team will engage with people from a range of sectors, communities and geographies, as well as regulatory bodies and policy makers. Together, they will explore how to turn scientific possibilities into benefits for society.