Biohacking communities are rapidly adopting low-cost solutions and custom equipment hacks to enhance their lives, with fashion designer Olivier Rousteing leading by example by balancing his career with wellness rituals like detoxing or radio frequency facials.
Stem cell therapy combined with biohacking techniques such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy and optimized nutrition can greatly accelerate its results, aiding cellular regeneration while increasing health, performance and even lifespan. This type of hacking aims to promote longevity.
Biohacker spaces linked to universities
Biohackers use their bodies as laboratory guinea pigs, taking advantage of modern scientific advancements and personalized approaches to wellness to maximize performance and well-being. Biohacking includes anything from simple diet and exercise modifications to more drastic measures like hormonal implants or stem cell treatments; with the ultimate aim being optimizing natural processes in order to maximize potential health, happiness and longevity.
DIY biology aspires to independence from academic science; however, many biohackers who practice it hold professional degrees and collaborate closely with academia. This collaboration helps advance DIY biology while showing that laboratory tools can be utilized by anyone regardless of background or formal training.
Biohackers typically operate from either their own self-built laboratories at home, or community labs that offer wet and dry laboratory equipment sharing and project collaboration opportunities. Such labs may be known as garage biology, backyard biology or kitchen biology labs – terms emphasizing their extra-institutional nature while emphasizing experimentation and play that characterize this subculture.
Though community labs often receive negative press, they’re actually working hard to promote access and provide valuable educational services. Many offer internships to high school students; conduct outreach efforts in neighborhoods lacking access to schools or museums; offer scholarships for low-income students – rather than portray them as security threats, media should embrace them as valuable public resources.
DIY bio movement recalls computer hackers from the 1970s who would open their homes and share their passion for computers. Although the DIY bio movement aims to achieve more ambitious goals than computer hacking did, risks still exist – these risks include personal safety concerns, liability issues and harming others – although some of these risks may be mitigated through self-testing and peer reviews.
At the same time, biohackers are pushing the ethical and legal boundaries in an attempt to improve their own health and well-being through cutting-edge technologies such as stem cell treatments. One participant at SHA Mexico reported taking part in stem cell therapy that activated his body’s natural healing abilities while improving both physical and mental performance.
iGEM
iGEM is a high school competition designed to teach high school students the fundamentals of synthetic biology while giving them experience working with scientists from around the world. The ultimate aim is for teams of four high school students competing to design an working prototype using synthetic biology that solves a local issue; however, the journey may be challenging at times and resources exist that can assist teams as they attempt to meet this goal.
Despite these challenges, DIYbio has steadily gained ground across Latin America. Its members include biologists, biotech engineers, artists, and makers whose goal is to democratize science and technology through community collaboration.
One such team from Tec de Monterrey that won two gold and one silver medals in 2024 competition is the iGEM team from Tec de Monterrey’s, which created an innovative water purification project using genetically modified microalgae to reduce water contamination through absorption of contaminants such as antibiotics and hormones in water supplies. They also started up their own makerspace in Mexico which provides space and materials necessary for their experimentations in preparation for competition projects.
As well as providing space for scientific research, the iGEM team has also created an online wiki and held workshops designed to make it easier for people to learn new technologies. These free public workshops also promote collaboration among maker communities in their area while the iGEM team works together with labs across the region to form a network to support DIYbio movements.
The Global PI Hub is another valuable resource, composed of Team Principal Investigators (PIs) and Instructors involved in iGEM competitions who meet monthly to exchange knowledge and collaborate on topics relevant to this competition. By gathering, this group helps teams prepare better for competition while improving quality projects.
In order to encourage high school student participation in iGEM competition, it is vitally important that they find a supportive environment. This will allow them to develop an interest in science while feeling empowered to take more risks in their science projects, leading them to make innovative discoveries that make up a more dynamic world.
TECNOx
TECNOx is a community of individuals dedicated to finding technological solutions for local challenges using open source technologies. Members work across scientific disciplines such as biotechnology, genetic engineering and nanotechnology. TECNOx seeks to advance education in science and technology by giving students access to low-cost laboratory equipment; many labs in Latin America cannot afford the expensive tools needed for research due to shipping costs; this has inspired hacking or building their own labs as a cost saving measure.
iGEM Mexico National Network was first convened in 2014 and since then has helped create stronger ties between researchers, biohackers, students, scientists and other experts, allowing students to learn from each other. Collaborations between students have also been critical in aiding the growth of the DIYbio movement in Latin America.
While synthetic biology has long been established in Mexico, its potential remains underutilized within its wider biotech industry landscape due to a lack of support from government agencies and private businesses. Recent advances in cellular agriculture technology and other biotechnologies demonstrate Mexico’s potential as an emerging bio-based economy.
Mexico’s iGEM community is expanding, as more universities join the competition. Up until 2010, teams from UNAM and IPN dominated, but in 2010 ITESM (Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey), known for its entrepreneurial ethos and 31 campuses spread throughout Mexico, made its entry and marked a turning point that encouraged other universities to follow suit.
As a result of these initiatives’ success, TECNOx was formed as a biohacker space to facilitate collaborative communities that aim at building sustainable biotechnology industry in Pakistan. The network has enabled iGEM alumni to meet other scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs – ultimately creating a more cohesive group of professionals. Furthermore, working alongside CIBIOGEM (government organization responsible for overseeing GMOs), this group worked towards strengthening biosafety rules for citizen science laboratories by improving biosafety regulations for citizen science labs.
Biosafety
DIY technology communities are embracing biohacking with open arms, including maker communities such as Instructables, Waag Society and Hackteria that specialize in equipment building. Another key player is Fab Lab: an international network of community workshops teaching people how to use open source tools; 44 of its 541 workshops can be found across Latin America alone! Together these communities bridge the gap between university labs and DIY biohacking spaces.
Utilizing modern technologies and biology to optimize health, performance and wellness is increasingly popular with the millennial generation. Utilizing personalized supplements and self-experimentation to meet one’s health, performance and wellness goals may include strengthening immunity, balancing hormones and increasing energy levels while simultaneously decreasing stress levels and improving sleep quality. This market is rapidly expanding as consumers look for ways to enhance their quality of life.
DIY biohacking can be an enjoyable way to explore science, but it should always be approached carefully. One miscalculation can result in irreparable harm or even death. Furthermore, when undertaking biohacking experiments it’s also essential that one takes into account ethical considerations as well as potential risks.
The SyntechBio community in Latin America aims to establish a network of DIY biohacking spaces. Established by a collective of scientists looking to advance synthetic biology technology and biohacking techniques, its physical space closed in 2015 yet its online presence continues to thrive.
Future biohacker movements should become more structured. DIYbio groups have already emerged in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico – including DIYbioBA in Argentina which hosts weekly meetups focused on biohacking issues; other groups may focus on specific subjects or more general subjects related to art or philosophy.
Another group in Mexico, TecnosF, is working to make accessing equipment easier for people. To do this, they collaborate with universities and local organizations to construct laboratories in urban areas; additionally, this project creates a platform where individuals can share their experiences.
