From here:
Very cool stuff. How far can this be taken? It’s one thing for a cell to repair itself but could a complex organism whose cells have been modified to repair DNA survive deadly radiation? Or would the organism die before the repairs could take place?
There would be a limit. Radiation doesn’t just affect DNA; it damages everything else as well. Like a sunburn; the long term danger of skin cancer is from DNA damage, but the obvious reddening, blistering, etc is from damage to everything else. Something with superior general healing ( instead of just DNA repair ) could survive more radiation than us of course, but sooner or later the rate of damage will outpace the haeling. And of course really high levels will just fry you, like any other high energy effect.
The important thing about DNA repair is that without it, all the healing in the world won’t do you a damn bit of good. With your cell’s “plans” distorted, any healing would be defective, or just shut down.
So I’d have to settle for something less than Wolverine’s healing ability?
Well, yes. If nothing else, in the real world you need to worry about where the energy and mass to replace and repair that damaged or destroyed tissue is coming from.