Synthetic Genomics | Options for Governance

Garfinkel, Michele S.; Endy, Drew; Epstein, Gerald L.; Friedman, Robert M.

doi:10.1089/bsp.2007.0923

Cited by 71 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…However it is not yet certain how this might work in practice or in conjunction with the current patents system (Royal Academy of Engineering, 2009). The 'morality clause' in EU patent law is also likely to be relevant to SynBio (Rutz, 2009 (Garfinkel et al, 2007;Weir and Selgelid 2009;Samuels et al 2009).…”

Section: Ethical Issues Arising In Synbiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Current Ethical Issues in Synthetic Biology: Where Should We Go from Here?

Newson

2011

Accountability in Research

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Abstract:Synthetic Biology (SynBio) is an emerging scientific field which has quickly established momentum and visibility. Although no single definition of SynBio prevails, the field broadly encompasses the application of engineering principles to biology; re-designing biological materials and using them as new substrates to create products and entities not otherwise found in nature. This paper first reviews SynBio, highlighting the novel aspects of this technology. It then synthesises ethical issues highlighted in the literature to date and makes some initial claims that research on the ethical aspects of SynBio should: avoid creating a new sub-type of bioethics, concentrate on novel concepts and problems and be situated within a context of cooperative inter-disciplinary investigation.

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Section: Ethical Issues Arising In Synbiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Current Ethical Issues in Synthetic Biology: Where Should We Go from Here?

Newson

2011

Accountability in Research

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“…46 Such improvements may allow the acquisition of biological agents through synthesis, potentially broadening the pool of actors able to acquire such agents. 47 This technological shift may change the relative, as well as absolute, danger from different potential agents. In general, viruses will be considerably easier to synthesize than bacteria due to their smaller genomes and simpler structure.…”

Section: Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The security implications of DNA synthesis are already matters of concern and have been extensively studied. 19,20 Second, biological engineers known as Synthetic Biologists are using these tools to develop modularized approaches to the design and recombination of genetic materials. Practitioners of Synthetic Biology (SB) aspire to make genetic engineering easier, cheaper, more efficient, and more predictable, thereby accelerating the advance of biotechnology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What rough beast? Synthetic biology, uncertainty, and the future of biosecurity

Mukunda¹,

Oye²,

Mohr³

2009

Politics and the Life Sciences

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Synthetic biology (SB) seeks to create modular biological parts that can be assembled into useful devices, allowing the modification of biological systems with greater reliability, at lower cost, with greater speed, and by a larger pool of people than has been the case with traditional genetic engineering. We assess the offensive and defensive security implications of SB based on the insights of leading synthetic biologists into how the technology may develop, the projections of practicing biosecurity authorities on changes in security context and on potential security applications of SB, and joint appraisals of policy-relevant sources of uncertainty. SB appears to have minimal security implications in the near term, to create modest offensive advantages in the medium term, and to strengthen defensive capabilities against natural and engineered biological threats and to enable novel potential offensive uses in the long term. To maximize defensive and minimize offensive effects of SB despite uncertainty, this essay suggests a combination of policy approaches including community-based efforts, regulation and surveillance, further research, and the deliberate design of security and safety into the technology.

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“…Synthetic genomics has been defined as the engineering and manipulation of an organism's genetic material on the scale of the whole genome, based on technologies to design and chemically synthesize pieces of DNA and to assemble them to long, chromosome-sized fragments [9,10]. These can serve as entire genomes of viruses or bacteria [11,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, potential biosafety, biosecurity [9,20,21], environmental and socioeconomic risks [21][22][23], as well as ethical and other philosophical concerns regarding the nature of life [24] have been raised. Against this background, we wish to provide a sober, evidence-based picture of the current state of synthetic genomics/biology applications and of their potential benefits and risks in economically and politically relevant areas, namely health, the environment and energy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthetic Genomics and Synthetic Biology Applications Between Hopes and Concerns

König¹,

Frank²,

Heil³

et al. 2013

Current Genomics

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New organisms and biological systems designed to satisfy human needs are among the aims of synthetic genomics and synthetic biology. Synthetic biology seeks to model and construct biological components, functions and organisms that do not exist in nature or to redesign existing biological systems to perform new functions. Synthetic genomics, on the other hand, encompasses technologies for the generation of chemically-synthesized whole genomes or larger parts of genomes, allowing to simultaneously engineer a myriad of changes to the genetic material of organisms. Engineering complex functions or new organisms in synthetic biology are thus progressively becoming dependent on and converging with synthetic genomics. While applications from both areas have been predicted to offer great benefits by making possible new drugs, renewable chemicals or clean energy, they have also given rise to concerns about new safety, environmental and socio-economic risks -stirring an increasingly polarizing debate. Here we intend to provide an overview on recent progress in biomedical and biotechnological applications of synthetic genomics and synthetic biology as well as on arguments and evidence related to their possible benefits, risks and governance implications.

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Synthetic Genomics | Options for Governance

Cited by 71 publications

References 20 publications

Current Ethical Issues in Synthetic Biology: Where Should We Go from Here?

Current Ethical Issues in Synthetic Biology: Where Should We Go from Here?

What rough beast? Synthetic biology, uncertainty, and the future of biosecurity

Synthetic Genomics and Synthetic Biology Applications Between Hopes and Concerns

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