Synthetic Society/Understanding, Perception & Ethics

Introduction

The perception sub-group aims to examine how Synthetic Biology is perceived by the general public, policy makers/funding bodies and the researchers themselves. Furthermore, we need to describe the interplay between these groups - how do the descriptions/definitions of Synthetic Biology affect the public's perception and how does their perception affect the researcher's ability to carry on the work?

1/9/06 Meeting

Meeting Notes

• Frank's notes - with some URLs on public perceptions
• Scott's memo.

Questions arising

1. What is the public perception of Synthetic Biology
2. Do people think that Synthetic Biology = Genetic Engineering?
3. What is the δ of Synthetic Biology on society?
4. Where has education affected the public perception of a field?
5. Who are the appraisers of Synthetic Biology (Gates Foundation? VC?)
6. By what mechanisms does public perception feedback on the research in a field?

Action List

• Follow up on DARPA funding issues - Ken, Larry
• Contact Boyce(?) to get perception info. - Ken, Larry
• Data-mining on public perceptions - Barry, Meghan, Austin
  • A market analysis report by a biotech consulting firm on Synthetic Biology
• Articulate the differences between Synthetic Biology and other related fields - Natalie, Barry, contributions welcome
• EU response and attitudes to GMO - Ken, Larry

Reports

Synthetic Society/Distinguishing and defining Synthetic Biology

Popular Press Items

Jannuary 17, 2006; The New York Times; Andrew Pollack; Custom-Made Microbes, at Your Service; an introduction, and a set of perceptions and responses

"You write the same software and put it into different computers, and their behavior is quite different," [Caltech's Lingchong] You said. "If we think of a cell as a computer, it's much more complex than the computers we're used to."

For that reason, some scientists say, it might be difficult ever to make biological engineering as predictable as bridge construction.

"There is no such thing as a standard component, because even a standard component works differently depending on the environment," Professor Arnold of Caltech said. "The expectation that you can type in a sequence and can predict what a circuit will do is far from reality and always will be."

The unpredictability could lead to safety risks. What if the novel organisms were somehow to run amok? In addition, the same technology could be used to synthesize known pathogens based on their published DNA sequences.