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

20 – 21 June 2009 - Europe workshop (London)
23 – 24 June 2009 - UK iGEM meetup (Edinburgh)
23 October Practice Presentation (Newcastle)
23 October T-shirts are ready
27 October Practice Presentation (Sunderland)
27 October Poster is ready
30 October – 2 November 2009 - Jamboree (Boston)

Newcastle iGEM Twitter
[http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=131709337641 Newcastle on Facebook]
[http://www.youtube.com/user/newcastle2009igem Newcastle Youtube Channel]

Team:Newcastle/Ethics

From 2009.igem.org