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Security
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Revision as of 14:12, 8 October 2009
Resources
People
- Piers Millet
- BWC ISU
- bwc@unog.ch
- www.unog.ch/bwc
The BWC Implementation Support Unit is the closest thing to an international organisation to ensure biology is used solely for beneficial purposes. Housed in the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs in Geneva, we help States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (the international treaty) in banning the hostile use of biology. As a microbiologist and chartered biologist, I support the technical aspects of the ISU's work. I am very excited about the things that applying an engineering approach to biology will let us do and am keen to find ways to work with those involved in iGEM, you, to ensure biology continues to be used safely, securely and solely for our collective benefit.
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"Biology should be more fun. It should be about exploring the world around us. We should want to get out there and do things. We should be able to do things more easily. Securing biology should be something that helps us do that. It cannot be something that gets in the way." |
Scientific research continues to bring us new and unexpected knowledge, technologies and approaches. Synthetic biology, being on the very cutting edge of what is possible, promises unprecedented opportunities health, wealth and better living. But science and technology can be used for destructive purposes as well as for constructive ones. Refining our control of biology opens up chances to intentionally cause harm to humans, animals, plants and the environment that just did not exist before. That’s why it is more important now, than ever before, for us to think about how others might use what we are doing in ways we would not be happy with.
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Preventing Malign Use
Securing biology is not a simple task. It is not something those outside biology could, or should, do alone. Equally, this is not something that biologists can do by themselves (our focus, as the name implies is on the biology). This is a truly interdisciplinary problem that will need us to work together, in new ways, with new partners, to find an approach that provides benefits for all. Given the interdisciplinary nature of synthetic biology, and the experience the community has in drawing in people from different backgrounds, we are well placed to position ourselves on the cutting edge of how science interacts with society and to help write the rules which will govern this ‘century of biology’. |
As a participant in iGEM, there are three things you can do right now to help us secure our science:
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Ensuring that biology is used safely, securely and constructively should be of concern to us all. This is a challenge we will have to face together. To do this we will need to figure out what we want biological engineering to look like, what we are prepared for others to do with it and just how we want to tackle security issues. This page provides a space to focus on these issues and for you to help shape what should be done to stop those with a malign intent. There is a real opportunity here for iGEM and those participating in iGEM, to not only to shape how they will deal with security issues but to drive their national and even international processes. You can make a real difference in securing biology – in your lab, in your country and across the world.
Areas a code might address:
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There is a strong feeling amongst those involved with iGEM, as well as the broader synthetic biology community, that the work we do should be used only for the benefit of humankind. It should not be used to do harm or to make weapons. This understanding has prompted some to think about what the community can do to ensure that this never happens. One important step would be a code or personal declaration that everyone involved (from the organisers, through supervisors and advisors, to team members and even the mascots!) would commit themselves to. This helps to ensure that we think about security as something that does directly involve us, is part of our project and can be dealt with in a way that helps us to get on and have some fun engineering biology.
Any code that would commit community members to do no harm would be first and foremost the property of this community. There is a solid body of work dedicated to the sorts of things that might be included in such an effort (see the Resources section). But nothing should be taken for granted – the content of our code would be up to us to decide. Below are some of the areas that a code might cover. Are these accurate? Can you think of anything else that should be on this list? Is there too much and we should get rid of some (if so what)? Is there any point to working on a code? Here is where you can get involved – we are hoping that you will have something to say. You can answer these questions or add anything else you want to say (you know the drill) in the comments section below. |
Securing Modern Biology
In this section of the page you will find a range of reports, presentations and other resources on various aspects of security."Why Secure Modern Biology" video
This is a 30 minute video of me arguing why we need to secure synthetic biology and biological engineering at SB4.0 in Hong Kong in 2008. It includes a short quiz that demontrates how hard it is to spot the use of biology for hostile purposes. It looks at some of the problems with trying to secure biology through top-down governmental approaches and the need to find a community-based response to this shared problem.
