About

Kaelan is 30 years old. He is 5’11” and 170 lbs. He is a Senior Research Scientist with Clearance Level IV in the Genome Division at Paragon Group. He currently lives in Moscow, CCD. While he is paid a handsome salary at Paragon, he has signed over all current intellectual and patent rights as well as those he may discover in the future to his employer in perpetuity. Notably, he does not care. He is single and lives alone in the business district of downtown Moscow.

Personality

Psychologically, Kaelen exhibits extreme intelligence, narcissism, lack of a moral compass, and obsessiveness. These traits were apparent early in life and are quite prominent as an adult.

As a child Kaelan displayed an inflated sense of self-importance and that he was more special than the other children. He also exaggerated his abilities and achievements, particularly in school environments, claiming he won competitions or awards that he did not. He was quite entitled as well, constantly claiming that he was owed special treatment or privileges that disavowed him of the rules other children were expected to follow. He would often grow very angry when he did not get what he wanted. He had difficulty emphatheizing with other children and was dismissive of their needs. His grandiosity was usually paired with attention-seeking, where he craved admiration and went to great lengths to get it. As a teenager he was quite preoccupied with is appearance, something that continued into young adult life.

In adulthood, his pension to exaggerate expanded. Luckily, his extreme level of intelligence made up for the need to lie about himself, but his ego was often over-flattering to himself. It was during his time in Zurich that he began to delve into his laboratory with a level of obsession that eclipsed even his previous academic pursuits. He often spent many days in the laboratory at a time while employed for Galen Genetics and slept on a cot in his office. While he did not directly sabotage his competitors at Galen, neither would he go out of his way to help a colleague unless he believed it would earn him prestige, to demonstrate his superior intellect, or earn the ever-coveted “Employee of the Month” plaque.

Following his recruitment to Paragon Group, he negotiated a handsome salary and an impressive private office adjacent to his laboratory. He required access to an entire division of animal, microbe, and botanical facilities and extreme levels of funding. He often sleeps in Paragon’s employee quarters, particularly during the most sensitive portions of his experiments are ongoing.

Scientist

Many of Kaelan’s experiments were officially carried out for medical or other scientific purposes. He was easily able to justify his hypotheses or spin the outcome as a means to advance human knowledge and progress medical science, but many of these proposals were thin covers to carry out side-experiments for the pure sake of trial and error. His first job out of school was for Galen Genetics Corporation, which he was on the verge of being fired for unethical, unapproved research methods prior to being recruited to Paragon Group.

Galen Genetics Corporation

• Plant-insect-animal chimeras
  • Sea anemones and algae: Combined several species of sea anemones into forming a combined symbiotic relationship with algae called zooxanthellae, which live inside their tissues and provide them with nutrients through photosynthesis.
  • Sloths and algae: Sloths have a symbiotic relationship with green algae that grow on their fur, which provides camouflage and may also provide nutrients.
  • Venus flytraps and insects: Using the genetic sequence of venus flytraps, which are carnivorous plants that have adapted to catch insects for their nutrient requirements, created a chimera that allows the venus flytrap mobility to crawl across its tank on insect like exoskeleton legs. When the tiny hairs on the insect triggers the plant’s sensory system, it snaps shut and begins to digest the prey.
  • Pitcher plants and insects: Pitcher plants are another group of carnivorous plants that trap insects. Combined their specialized leaves, which form a deep cavity with digestive enzymes onto the exoskeletons of beetles and grasshoppers, which attract and digest insects that are swallowed inside.
  • Cuphea llavea and bats: The name comes from the sequence of a flower which has a one inch long, hairy purple calyx with two upward facing red petals spliced into the skeleton of a bat face.
• Fungus-parasite-insect chimeras
  • Ophiocordyceps unilateralis and ants: Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is a fungus that infects ants and manipulates their behavior to spread its spores. Infected ants are compelled to climb vegetation and attach themselves to the underside of leaves, where they die and the fungus grows out of their bodies to release spores.
  • Massospora cicadina and cicadas: Massospora cicadina is a fungus that infects cicadas and causes them to lose their lower abdomen, which is replaced by a fungal mass that produces spores. Infected cicadas continue to behave normally for a short period, but eventually become hypersexual and their fungal mass falls off, spreading spores to other cicadas.
  • Laboulbeniales and beetles: Laboulbeniales is a group of fungi that live on the exoskeleton of beetles, forming a permanent association with their host. The fungi are highly specialized and have adapted to live in specific areas of the beetle’s body, such as the mouthparts or genitalia.
  • Entomophthora muscae and flies: Entomophthora muscae is a fungus that infects flies and causes them to climb to the top of a surface and die, where the fungus grows out of their bodies and releases spores. The fungus also alters the behavior of infected flies, causing them to exhibit phototaxis (movement towards light) and increased wing activity.
  • Cordyceps fungi and various insects: Cordyceps fungi are a diverse group of fungi that infect a wide range of insects, including ants, beetles, caterpillars, and spiders. The fungus grows inside the insect’s body and eventually kills it, after which the fungal fruiting body grows out of the insect’s body to release spores.
  • Hymenoepimecis argyraphaga and spiders: Hymenoepimecis argyraphaga is a parasitic wasp that injects its eggs into the abdomen of a spider. The wasp larvae then feed on the spider’s blood and eventually manipulate its behavior to spin a special type of web that the larvae can use as a cocoon.
  • Leucochloridium paradoxum and snails: Leucochloridium paradoxum is a parasitic flatworm that infects the eyestalks of snails. The worm alters the snail’s behavior, causing it to extend its eyestalks in a way that resembles a caterpillar, which makes them more attractive to birds that eat them. The worm then reproduces in the bird’s gut and releases eggs in its feces, which can infect other snails.
  • Xenos vesparum and wasps: Xenos vesparum is a parasitic wasp that injects its eggs into the abdomen of a wasp. The wasp larvae then feed on the host’s fat body and eventually cause it to stop reproducing, after which they emerge from the host’s body as adults.
• Animal chimeras
  • Sheep-goat chimera: created a sheep-goat chimera by injecting goat cells into sheep embryos. The resulting embryos were implanted into surrogate sheep mothers and allowed to develop for several weeks.
  • Rat-mouse chimera: created a rat-mouse chimera by injecting mouse embryonic stem cells into rat embryos. The resulting chimeric animals had features of both species.
  • Cow-buffalo chimera: created a cow-buffalo chimera by injecting buffalo cells into cow embryos. The resulting chimeric embryos were implanted into surrogate cows and allowed to develop.
  • Fish-amphibian chimera: created a fish-amphibian hybrid as a way to study evolution. The hybrid was created by introducing genes that control limb development into zebrafish embryos, which then developed limbs like those of amphibians.

Paragon Group

The protocols he developed at Galen were transferred with him to Paragon where he used the knowledge to expand his experimentation into human genome editing and splicing. Until he sparked the ability to channel, many of the complex or multi-organ products he created were incompatible with life beyond their sustainability vessels, but he has demonstrated high levels of success at the unicellular, prokaryotic and microbial levels. Following his spark to channel, a startlingly advanced degree of recombination was proven not only effective but life-sustaining.

• Human genetic splicing techniques
  • CRISPR: Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) is a system that enables precise and targeted gene editing. It is a naturally occurring system found in bacteria and archaea that is used to defend against invading viruses and other genetic elements. The CRISPR system is composed of a series of RNA sequences and proteins that work together to identify and cut specific DNA sequences.
  • CRISPR-Cas9: a gene-editing tool that works by using an RNA molecule to guide a protein called Cas9 to a specific location in the DNA. Once it reaches the target location, Cas9 cuts the DNA, which can then be repaired or modified by the cell’s natural repair mechanisms. This technology has revolutionized the field of genetics and has the potential to treat genetic diseases, develop new drugs, and create genetically modified organisms.
  • CRISPR-Cas12a: a gene-edting tool that has some unique features that make it different from Cas9. One key difference is that Cas12 requires only one RNA molecule to target and cut DNA, while Cas9 requires two. Additionally, Cas12 has been shown to be more specific than Cas9, meaning it is less likely to cut unintended DNA sequences.
• Animal-human chimeras
  • Pig-human: created a chimera by injecting human stem cells into pig embryos. The resulting chimeric embryos were grown in a surrogate sow for several weeks before being harvested for analysis. These samples are usually used to create artificial organs (valves, lungs, etc) for transplants.
  • Non-human primates-Human: Using human neural cells injected into embryos of non-human primates studied the early development of the human brain and the formation of neural networks.
  • Sheep-human: Heart stem cells combined with sheep embyros created human-hearts within the body of a sheep in order to study the development and diseases of the cardiovascular system.
  • Fungus-human-sheep: Using the protocols of previous fungus-insect chimeras, these were spliced into human embryonic stem cells and implanted into sheep for development. The creatures were non-compatible with life outside of an artificial life chamber.
• Unidentified species genome sequencing
  • Visha – Completed the species genome sequencing of an undiscovered kingdom life form. The resultant DNA has been unsuccessfully spliced into non-human primates, mammals, and humans but surprisingly reproduces readily in reptiles. Hatchlings have thrived under controlled conditions.

Publications

Kaelan burned enormous sums of money on his experiments, but he was also productive and successful. He authored or co-authored dozens of seminal papers, thought-pieces, and ethical arguments.

1. “Creating Human-Animal Chimeras: A Guide to Developing Hybrid Cell Lines through Genetic Engineering”
2. “Breaking the Species Barrier: The Process of Fusing Human and Animal Cells to Create Chimeric Organisms”
3. “Engineering Novel Life Forms: The Development of Human-Animal Chimera Cell Lines”
4. “From the Lab to the Clinic: The Potential of Human-Animal Chimera Cell Lines in Regenerative Medicine”
5. “Creating Hybrid Organisms: The Potential of Human-Animal Chimera Cell Lines for Disease Modeling”
6. “The Art of Genome Splicing: Building Chimeric Organisms through CRISPR-Cas9”
7. “Merging Genomes: Creating Genomic Chimeras through DNA Recombination”
8. “Engineering Life: The Potential of Genome Editing in Creating Chimeric Organisms”
9. “From Bench to Bedside: The Future of Human-Animal Chimera Cell Lines in Precision Medicine”
10. “Gene Splicing and Beyond: The Future of Genomic Chimeras in Biotechnology”
11. “Creating Superorganisms: The Potential of Genomic Chimerism in Developing Hybrid Life Forms”
12. “Ethical Considerations of Creating Human-Animal Chimeras: An Argument for Scientific Progress”
13. “Beyond Species Boundaries: The Ethics of Creating Human-Animal Chimera Hybrids”
14. “Animal Welfare and Human Benefit: An Ethical Defense of Creating Human-Animal Hybrid Organisms”
15. “The Limits of Species: Why Creating Human-Animal Chimeras Can Be Morally Permissible”
16. “Beyond Human: Exploring the Ethical Implications of Creating Chimera Hybrids”
17. “Advancing Science Responsibly: A Framework for Ethically Creating Human-Animal Chimera Organisms”
18. “Genetic Roulette: The Hidden Dangers of Playing God with DNA”
19. “Genetic Engineering and the Pandora’s Box: The Risks of Unleashing Unintended Consequences”
20. “The Ticking Time Bomb of Genetic Engineering: Risks, Uncertainties, and Ethical Concerns”
21. “The Potential Hazards of Genetic Engineering: A Comprehensive Review of Current Knowledge”
22. “Engineering a Catastrophe: The Dangers of Genetic Modification in Agriculture and Medicine”
23. “Genetic Engineering and the Risk of Unintended Mutations: A Cautionary Tale”
24. “The Price of Playing with Genes: Risks and Dangers of Genetic Engineering for Future Generations”
25. “Genetic Engineering and the Threat to Biodiversity: A Critical Analysis of Ecological Consequences”

Channeling

While it was technically possible to combine DNA from two different species, the process was not always straightforward and could have unpredictable outcomes. The main reason is that different species have different regulations for expressing and supressing their genetic codes at the protein level, which led to complications often incompatible with life when trying to combine their DNA.

One of the most reliable ways to combine DNA is through genetic engineering techniques such as using CRISPR-Cas9 and CRISPR-Cas12, and CRISPR-Cas12a technology to make precise cuts and insertions in DNA sequence. However, even with precise editing tools, it can be difficult to predict how the edited DNA will behave once it is introduced into the cells of a living organism. Furthermore, different species evolved to function in different environments and developed different genetic mechanisms to control their development, metabolism, and other biological processes. These differences can make it extremely difficult to combine DNA from different species and get a functional organism that is compatible with life, even more so when the DNA originates from completely different species kingdoms (e.g. plants and animals).

Which was why the spark of a channeler was required to splice the DNA of multiple species together in such a way as to properly regulate the expression of the resultant proteins. Those proteins must then be expressed in the organism in a productive way that does not incidentally trigger apoptotic mechanisms that result in cell-suicide. Kaelan first channeled at Paragon Group when he was watching the ongoing process of mitosis. He had spliced together the DNA sequence of two species that thus far had remained incompatible and used the vector process to insert it into induced pluripotent stem cells from a human sample. Mitosis was arrested in every experiment proceeding it, but this time, the inclusion of the One Power rearranged the molecular structure within the nuclear compartment that allowed mitosis to occur. The cells began to reproduce.

Notably, the human sample that reverse-induced from fully differentiated to pluripotent stem cell stage was originally harvested from a channeler.

When the Sickness manifested, he became an unwitting subject of his own employer. This led to a deal with the CEO, Ephraim Haart to connect him with an individual who could coach him through surviving the sickness in exchange for a hefty contract. He readily agreed.

Reincarnations

1st Age – Genetic engineer, Kaelan Müller

2nd Age – The renown biologist and father of Shadowspawn, Ishtar Korat Muael

3rd Age – Emerges from the bore as the Forsaken, Amogorath

6th Age – A god of the sea and father of sirens, tritones, and leviathans, Triton