Team:Newcastle/Ethics

From 2009.igem.org

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= Ethics =
= Ethics =
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Ethics is an important issue to think about, especially when we are considering working with toxic materials and modifying a life form.
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Ethics is an important issue to think about, especially when we are considering working with toxic materials and modifying a life form. The iGEM2009 Newcastle team participated at an ethics brainstorming exercise at the iGEM-UK meeting at Edinburgh on the 24th of June 2009. Here are the main points that came out of this exercise:
 +
 
 +
=Ethical, Legal, Social Aspects of Synthetic Biology — Brainstorming exercise=
 +
 
 +
==What can engineering bring to biology?==
 +
* Further understanding of systems that are not understood
 +
* Make useful organisms (e.g. electricity) [?]
 +
* Make standards (+tick)
 +
* Prediction/verification tools (+tick)
 +
* Make biology more powerful, maybe uncontrollable
 +
* Feedback – design & modelling
 +
* Maths
 +
* Callout charges. Help desks. Linux.
 +
* Predictable outcomes
 +
* Unrealistic expectations (+tick)
 +
* A creative process
 +
* Objective overview of the system
 +
* Optimization
 +
* The design process
 +
* Problems/misunderstandings
 +
* Mindset focusing on solving problems instead of gaining knowledge
 +
* Solutions ☺
 +
* Complex designs
 +
* Innovation
 +
* Mass production
 +
* Bioart
 +
 
 +
==What features of biology could be exploited by synthetic biology ?==
 +
* Adapts
 +
* Replication
 +
* Species homology
 +
* Communication
 +
* Exploits standard parts within and between species ?
 +
* Can create a feature in a bug by using/mixing parts from other species
 +
* Synthetic organisms (e.g. plants) might outcompete wildtype ones
 +
* Exponential growth
 +
* System regulation
 +
* Self-preservation instinct
 +
* Mini-elephants & purple kittens
 +
* Molecular recognition
 +
* Self-assembly
 +
* Parallel processing
 +
* Evolution
 +
* Precise (molecular) control systems
 +
* Dinosaurs
 +
* Targeted solutions (e.g. to solve growing antibiotic resistance)
 +
* Stochasticity
 +
* Natural instinct to live
 +
* Neuroscience principles (e.g. neural networks)
 +
* Harnessing biological reactions that chemistry cannot yet accomplish
 +
 
 +
==What kinds of applications could you imagine for synthetic biology in 50 years’ time?==
 +
* Medical:
 +
* Vaccines
 +
* Transplantation /stem cells / making organs
 +
* Pushing human physical/mental abilities to new levels
 +
* Release of drugs by bacteria / enzymes by failed organs?
 +
* Destruction of malignant cells
 +
* No more ageing of humans. Eternal life?
 +
* A cure for flatulence
 +
* Personal activatable fluorescence
 +
* Biocomputing [linked to]
 +
* [linked with] living systems
 +
* Oxygen producing bugs
 +
* Outer space colonization [linked to]
 +
* [linked with] air recyclers + waste recyclers
 +
* Terraforming [with comment ‘Yes! ☺’]
 +
* Biofuels + biofuel cells
 +
* Biocomputers
 +
* Bio-diagnosers
 +
* Pets with logos
 +
* Superbugs!
 +
* Improved desalinisation
 +
* Houses grown from seeds
 +
* Artificial immune system
 +
* ‘super’ humans with more abilities?
 +
* Art
 +
* Food production
 +
* Anti-ageing. Anti-wrinkle. No more botox
 +
* Sleep button on kids
 +
* Remote control wake-up button for students
 +
* Military applications? (with funny face :|)
 +
* Dinosaurs!
 +
* Synthetic biology diseases [?]
 +
 
 +
==What broader social challenges or questions face the synthetic biology community?==
 +
* Public understanding of biology [annotated to include ‘misconceptions’] [with arrow drawn to]
 +
* [with arrow from] Commercial awareness of synthetic biology applications
 +
* Religion (sanctity of life)
 +
* Copyright (intellectual property)
 +
* Safety (products and methods)
 +
* Unethical use of technology (like any other technology)
 +
* Changing habits
 +
* Eventual creation of a sentient being?
 +
* Press!
 +
* Funding
 +
* Politics
 +
* X-Men Homo betterthanus
 +
* Acceptable range of colours for kittens/dinosaurs
 +
* Acceptability of creating new life forms which must be destroyed at the end of the experiment
 +
* Alteration of ecosystems
 +
* Non-compatible biologies (e.g. not DNA-based)
 +
 
 +
==What legal and regulatory issues face synthetic biology?==
 +
* Patents. Ensuring that BioBrick parts are free to the public
 +
* Creative commons law
 +
* Health & safety
 +
* DIY biology. Genetic transformations at home
 +
* Bioterrorism Act/legislation
 +
* Synthetic biology affecting medicine
 +
* Coordination between countries
 +
* Establishment of trust in biological products
 +
* Biological certificates
 +
* Proper education programs
 +
* Selection of model organisms
 +
* Eventual use in humans
 +
* What are the limits? Are there any limits?
 +
* Synthetic biology black market
 +
* Differing laws between countries
 +
* Absence of applicable laws in some (eg. 3rd world/nations.)
 +
* Legal status of synthetic organisms
 +
* Government legislation – misconceptions of synthetic biology and how we would use it
 +
 
 +
==What ethical questions are raised by synthetic biology?==
 +
* Is synthetic life still life?
 +
* What is life?
 +
* Do synthetic organisms have rights?
 +
* Should you patent synthetic life?
 +
* Is it ok to make a synthetic species extinct?
 +
* How synthetic is synthetic?
 +
* Who is responsible?
 +
* Who has the right to benefit from the advantages of synthetic organisms?
 +
* Are we prepared to take responsibility?
 +
* Should synthetic organisms be introduced into human physiological systems?
 +
* What organisms are we allowed to synthesize?
 +
* Are we ready to be replaced by synthetical forms of lives? (synthetical humans)
 +
* Are they actually alive?
 +
* Are you ready to treat them the same way as ‘naturals’?
 +
* Who can and cannot work in synthetic biology?
 +
* Can you stop them once created? No switch!
 +
* Are we trying to play ‘God’?
 +
* Is it right to have lab strains?
 +
* Is it ok to create synthetic weapons?
 +
 
 +
==Please write down one word to describe how you feel about synthetic biology==
 +
 
 +
* Complicated
 +
* Zeitgeist
 +
* Object oriented Gen. Eng.
 +
* The science of 21st century
 +
* Awesome
 +
* Promise
 +
* Fun and creativity
 +
* Worthy
 +
 
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Latest revision as of 03:42, 22 October 2009

Ethics

Ethics is an important issue to think about, especially when we are considering working with toxic materials and modifying a life form. The iGEM2009 Newcastle team participated at an ethics brainstorming exercise at the iGEM-UK meeting at Edinburgh on the 24th of June 2009. Here are the main points that came out of this exercise:

Ethical, Legal, Social Aspects of Synthetic Biology — Brainstorming exercise

What can engineering bring to biology?

  • Further understanding of systems that are not understood
  • Make useful organisms (e.g. electricity) [?]
  • Make standards (+tick)
  • Prediction/verification tools (+tick)
  • Make biology more powerful, maybe uncontrollable
  • Feedback – design & modelling
  • Maths
  • Callout charges. Help desks. Linux.
  • Predictable outcomes
  • Unrealistic expectations (+tick)
  • A creative process
  • Objective overview of the system
  • Optimization
  • The design process
  • Problems/misunderstandings
  • Mindset focusing on solving problems instead of gaining knowledge
  • Solutions ☺
  • Complex designs
  • Innovation
  • Mass production
  • Bioart

What features of biology could be exploited by synthetic biology ?

  • Adapts
  • Replication
  • Species homology
  • Communication
  • Exploits standard parts within and between species ?
  • Can create a feature in a bug by using/mixing parts from other species
  • Synthetic organisms (e.g. plants) might outcompete wildtype ones
  • Exponential growth
  • System regulation
  • Self-preservation instinct
  • Mini-elephants & purple kittens
  • Molecular recognition
  • Self-assembly
  • Parallel processing
  • Evolution
  • Precise (molecular) control systems
  • Dinosaurs
  • Targeted solutions (e.g. to solve growing antibiotic resistance)
  • Stochasticity
  • Natural instinct to live
  • Neuroscience principles (e.g. neural networks)
  • Harnessing biological reactions that chemistry cannot yet accomplish

What kinds of applications could you imagine for synthetic biology in 50 years’ time?

  • Medical:
  • Vaccines
  • Transplantation /stem cells / making organs
  • Pushing human physical/mental abilities to new levels
  • Release of drugs by bacteria / enzymes by failed organs?
  • Destruction of malignant cells
  • No more ageing of humans. Eternal life?
  • A cure for flatulence
  • Personal activatable fluorescence
  • Biocomputing [linked to]
  • [linked with] living systems
  • Oxygen producing bugs
  • Outer space colonization [linked to]
  • [linked with] air recyclers + waste recyclers
  • Terraforming [with comment ‘Yes! ☺’]
  • Biofuels + biofuel cells
  • Biocomputers
  • Bio-diagnosers
  • Pets with logos
  • Superbugs!
  • Improved desalinisation
  • Houses grown from seeds
  • Artificial immune system
  • ‘super’ humans with more abilities?
  • Art
  • Food production
  • Anti-ageing. Anti-wrinkle. No more botox
  • Sleep button on kids
  • Remote control wake-up button for students
  • Military applications? (with funny face :|)
  • Dinosaurs!
  • Synthetic biology diseases [?]

What broader social challenges or questions face the synthetic biology community?

  • Public understanding of biology [annotated to include ‘misconceptions’] [with arrow drawn to]
  • [with arrow from] Commercial awareness of synthetic biology applications
  • Religion (sanctity of life)
  • Copyright (intellectual property)
  • Safety (products and methods)
  • Unethical use of technology (like any other technology)
  • Changing habits
  • Eventual creation of a sentient being?
  • Press!
  • Funding
  • Politics
  • X-Men Homo betterthanus
  • Acceptable range of colours for kittens/dinosaurs
  • Acceptability of creating new life forms which must be destroyed at the end of the experiment
  • Alteration of ecosystems
  • Non-compatible biologies (e.g. not DNA-based)

What legal and regulatory issues face synthetic biology?

  • Patents. Ensuring that BioBrick parts are free to the public
  • Creative commons law
  • Health & safety
  • DIY biology. Genetic transformations at home
  • Bioterrorism Act/legislation
  • Synthetic biology affecting medicine
  • Coordination between countries
  • Establishment of trust in biological products
  • Biological certificates
  • Proper education programs
  • Selection of model organisms
  • Eventual use in humans
  • What are the limits? Are there any limits?
  • Synthetic biology black market
  • Differing laws between countries
  • Absence of applicable laws in some (eg. 3rd world/nations.)
  • Legal status of synthetic organisms
  • Government legislation – misconceptions of synthetic biology and how we would use it

What ethical questions are raised by synthetic biology?

  • Is synthetic life still life?
  • What is life?
  • Do synthetic organisms have rights?
  • Should you patent synthetic life?
  • Is it ok to make a synthetic species extinct?
  • How synthetic is synthetic?
  • Who is responsible?
  • Who has the right to benefit from the advantages of synthetic organisms?
  • Are we prepared to take responsibility?
  • Should synthetic organisms be introduced into human physiological systems?
  • What organisms are we allowed to synthesize?
  • Are we ready to be replaced by synthetical forms of lives? (synthetical humans)
  • Are they actually alive?
  • Are you ready to treat them the same way as ‘naturals’?
  • Who can and cannot work in synthetic biology?
  • Can you stop them once created? No switch!
  • Are we trying to play ‘God’?
  • Is it right to have lab strains?
  • Is it ok to create synthetic weapons?

Please write down one word to describe how you feel about synthetic biology

  • Complicated
  • Zeitgeist
  • Object oriented Gen. Eng.
  • The science of 21st century
  • Awesome
  • Promise
  • Fun and creativity
  • Worthy




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