Chromosome Six

In 2023, five years after undergoing IVF treatment at the Institute for Genetics Research and Development in Russia, a couple discovers that some illegal genetic engineering performed during their treatment has resulted in their daughter being able to levitate. Worried about her future should authorities discover this amazing ‘gift’, the family flees Russia to live in obscurity in Australia.

Seventeen years later, after an identical genetic manipulation at the same institute results in twins being able to levitate, the GRU, Russia’s security agency, becomes aware of the original family’s existence. It sends its top agent to Australia to locate and bring them back. But when the GRU agent arrives in Australia, ASIO is put on full alert to locate him and discover his reason for entering the country.

After contact with ASIO and being informed the GRU has located her, the child who was affected by the original experiment has her own important decisions to make. Will it be safe for her to return to Russia? If she returns, will she be able to uncover the truth of her genetic engineering?

Although 'Chromosome Six' is a novel, it highlights the dangers human society is exposing itself to as we explore the potential outcomes of genetic engineering, particularly via CRISPR technology. This applies not only to changes to human genomes, but to micro-organisms as well. If we’re not vigilant and demand complete transparency and strong ethical guidelines around all such genetic research, we might see future generations inheriting permanent genetic changes that were never intended.