# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion

• A researcher is working on muscle enhancement through follistatin gene transfection using electroporation, which was described as more effective than liposomes for delivering genetic material despite liposomes being "expensive, toxic, and less efficient."

• The discussion highlighted significant immunogenicity challenges in gene therapy, particularly how immune responses to viral capsids can destroy transduced cells, with experts disagreeing on whether AAV (adeno-associated virus) vectors could be considered "non-immunogenic."

• Cryptocurrency alternatives to Bitcoin were discussed, including PPCoin (which claims greater energy efficiency by transitioning from mining to lottery mode) and Litecoin (designed to be "ASIC-proof" to level the playing field for miners).

• Concerns were raised about genomic data licensing, specifically whether companies can force removal of information from NCBI databases, with one participant noting that Celera had filed preliminary patent applications on 6,500 whole or partial genes.

• A bioinformatics company representative mentioned they access data directly from NCBI without auditing licenses and are developing genotyping methods cheaper than microarray technology.

• The fragmentation of DIY biology community communications was identified as problematic, with the London group having migrated to a separate mailing list since 2011.

• Educational resources were shared, including a Coursera computational neuroscience course described as "rudimentary but covers the basics," along with the EFF's proposal that source code submissions should be mandatory for software patents.