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Contents 1 Ethics 2 Ethical, Legal, Social Aspects of Synthetic Biology — Brainstorming exercise 2.1 What can engineering bring to biology? 2.2 What features of biology could be exploited by synthetic biology ? 2.3 What kinds of applications could you imagine for synthetic biology in 50 years’ time? 2.4 What broader social challenges or questions face the synthetic biology community? 2.5 What legal and regulatory issues face synthetic biology? 2.6 What ethical questions are raised by synthetic biology? 2.7 Please write down one word to describe how you feel about synthetic biology

Ethics

Ethics is an important issue to think about, especially when we are considering working with toxic materials and modifying a life form.

iGEM-UK meeting — 24 June 2009

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 (crazy face!!!!!)
• 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