Project Helix

Project Helix is the name of a fictional technology in the TV series "Alias". The device is used to rewrite a person's DNA, effectively morphing them into a clone of the person from whom the replacement DNA was procured. The only way to detect a double is through a deliberate flaw built into the process, detectable by an ocular scan. It is unknown whether the process is reversible.

Since its creation, there have been three known and two possible subjects of Project Helix:

Confirmed Project Helix subjects

*Jim Lennox - A CIA agent who, with his partner (and fiancée) Emma Wallace, infiltrated the organization of Helix inventor Dr. Enzo Markovic. Lennox was captured and used as the genetic source to transform Markovic into his double. Lennox was rescued by a CIA team led by Sydney Bristow and traveled with her to Poland to retrieve the schematics of the Helix device and destroy it. There they encountered Markovic, still Lennox's double. Lennox killed Markovic and Sydney destroyed the Helix equipment, but not before discovering that another duplicate had been created.

*Francie Calfo - Sydney's roommate and best friend. An agent named Allison Doren, lover of Julian Sark, was transformed into Francie's double and then killed Francie. Allison used Francie's identity to infiltrate and bug Sydney's apartment and continue Francie's relationship with Will Tippin. Will was at the time working as an analyst for the CIA and Allison hypnotically extracted intel from him as he slept. He and Sydney became suspicious of Allison, which led Allison to attempt to kill Will. Sydney exposed Allison as an impostor (by offering her coffee ice cream, which Francie hated) and Sydney and Allison engaged in a pitched battle, leaving both of them critically wounded and presumed dead. Both survived, and Allison was later killed by Will.

*Irina Derevko - Sydney's mother, former KGB agent and leader of an international criminal enterprise. She was doubled as part of a plot by her sister, Elena. An unnamed member of Elena's organization, The Covenant, volunteered to be doubled. The faux Irina was killed by Jack Bristow after Elena set it up to look like Irina had taken out a contract on Sydney's life.

Possible Project Helix subjects

*Doctor Aldo Desantis - Researcher with Prophet Five. He was in a cryogenic case that was stolen by sometime APO ally Renée Rienne under the belief that her father, Luc Goursad, was inside. When Rienne opened the case and Desantis emerged, he initially attempted to impersonate her father but was swiftly uncovered as an impostor by Sydney. He was extracted by Gordon Dean. Desantis was later tortured by Jack Bristow in an attempt to locate Sydney (who was being held captive by Prophet Five on a ship in the North Atlantic) and then killed by Rienne.

*Anna Espinosa - Former KGB agent, former agent of K-Directorate, follower of Milo Rambaldi and later a freelancer. Anna was transformed into a duplicate of Sydney by Prophet Five in an effort to allow Anna to serve as the "Chosen One" spoken of in the prophecies of Rambaldi. While doubling Sydney, Anna murdered Rienne. Anna attempted to deceive Michael Vaughn into believing she was Sydney but was unsuccessful. She and Vaughn battled in an underground bunker in Germany and Anna was about to shoot him. Sydney, however, intervened and killed Anna, briefly assuming her identity to infiltrate Prophet Five.

It was with Anna's doubling that something of the mechanics of genetic doubling was shown. Initially a small sample of Sydney's DNA was collected (by cutting her in combat). Sydney was later locked in a train car and additional genetic material was collected by deluging her with an unknown chemical agent. The chemical was collected and Anna was submerged in it for an unknown length of time (in the episode "Double Agent" Jack Bristow states that the subject must be placed in an induced coma for "several days").