30 | December 2010 | Realising European potential in synthetic biology
EASAC
Apart from the work of the European academies in analysing the status of synthetic biology, various other national
and international bodies have been active in addressing capacity building and governance issues. Some examples
are listed in Table 3, to illustrate the range. These other sources of information helped to provide the background
Appendix 2 International activities in synthetic biology:
analysing ethical and societal implications
Table 3 Issues analysis and other initiatives in synthetic biology
Organisation and initiative
Primary focus
European Commission (DG Research), NEST Pathfi nder
initiative
36
and Framework Programme 6-funded projects:
Toward a European Strategy of
Synthetic Biology (TESSY)
37
Synbiology
38
Synbiosafe
39
Emergence
40
Inventory of resources, roadmap, analysis of strategic
sustainability
Analysis of current research (EU, USA)
Ethics, safety and security
Education, infrastructure and standards
EMBL/EMBO, Conference on Systems and Synthetic Biology,
2008
41
Scientifi c and social implications
European Science Foundation meeting and Eurocores project,
EuroSynBio, opened for applications for research funding,
2009
42
Supporting engineering and molecular research in complex
biological systems and societal context
Kavli Futures Symposium, Ilulissat Statement, 2007
43
Identifi cation of fundamental, applied and social research needs
US Woodrow Wilson Center report on synthetic
biology
44
Anticipating and addressing concerns for laboratory and
environment
International Risk Governance Council report on synthetic
biology, 2008
45
Analysing applications, risks and governance
UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
report, 2008
46
Analysing societal impact, risks and regulation
UK Lloyd’s Emerging Risks Team Report 2009
47
Analysing risks and governance issues with implications for
insurance sector
European Group on Ethics of science and new technologies
(EGE) 2009
48
Analysing issues for biosafety, biosecurity, industrial applications,
IPR, societal engagement and research support
36
‘Synthetic biology, a NEST pathfi nder initiative’ at ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/nest/docs/5-nest-synthetic-080507.pdf.
37
TESSY fi nal report ‘TESSY achievements and future perspectives in synthetic biology’, December 2008, at www.tessy-europe.
eu/public_docs/TESSY-Final-Report_D5-3.pdf.
38
‘An analysis of synthetic biology research in Europe, the United States and Canada’ at www.atg-biosuynthetics.com/
nest-project.html.
39
Output as commentary paper ‘ Synbiosafe e-conference: online community discussion on the societal aspects of synthetic
biology’ (M. Schmidt, H. Torgersen, A. Ganguli-Mitra, A. Kelle, A. Deplazes, N. Biller-Andorno) Syst Synth Biol, doi:10.1007/
s11693-008-9019-y.
40
‘Emergence: a foundation for synthetic biology in Europe’, at www.synbio.org.uk/synthetic-biology-index/1105-emergence-
foundation-in-europe.
41
‘Systems and synthetic biology: scientifi c and social implications’, Heidelberg, Germany, November 2008 at www.embl.org/
aboutus/sciencesociety/conferences/2008/programme.html.
42
European conference on ‘Synthetic biology: design, programming and optimisation of biological systems’, St Feliu de Guixois,
Spain, November 2007 at www.functionalgenomics.org.uk; EuroSynBio call for proposals on www.esf.org/activities/eurocores/
programmes/eurosynbio.html.
43
International discussion meeting in Ilulissat, Greenland. Statement ‘Synthesizing the future – a vision for the convergence of
synthetic biology and nanotechnology’ accessed at www.royalsociety.org/page.asp?id=7493.
44
Report ‘Synthetic biology’ by D. Caruso, Hybrid Vigor Institute, at www.science.progress.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/
syntheticbiology.pdf for Woodrow Wilson Center (www.wilsoncenter.org).
45
Report ‘Synthetic biology risks and opportunities for an emerging fi eld’ by J. Calvert and J. Tait at www.igrc.org/IMG/pdf/RGC_
ConceptNote_SyntheticBiology_Final_30April.pdf.
46
Report ‘Synthetic biology social and ethical challenges’ by A. Balmer and P. Martin on www.bbsrc.ac.uk.
47
Report ‘Synthetic biology: infl uencing development’ by Lloyd’s Emerging Risks Team, July 2009, on www.lloyds.com.
48
‘Opinion on the ethics of synthetic biology’, EGE, November 2009, at www.ec.europa.eu/european_group_ethics/docs/
opinion25_en.pdf.
EASAC
Realising European potential in synthetic biology | December 2010 | 31
for EASAC inquiry in elucidating what public policy-makers need to know to provide a supportive framework for
synthetic biology R&D.
Apart from the ethical issues raised about creating life, research funders, NGOs and advisory groups have discussed other
ethical issues associated with synthetic biology. Concerns relating to trade and global justice have been expressed. For
example, the synthesis of artemesinin might move production from developing countries to developed countries—but
this type of concern is by no means confi ned to the products of synthetic biology.
It is also worth noting that in the recent work of the European Commission-funded Synbiosafe project (Ganguli-Mitra
et al. 2009), a survey of researchers involved in synthetic biology revealed a prevailing view that synthetic biology raises
no particular ethical issues in itself and that any social implications are exclusively related to specifi c practical applications,
for example, manipulation of the human genome. It is not clear if these researchers’ perspective is shared more widely
across the EU, although some initial public expectations are being elucidated (chapter 4). Other commentators have
raised concerns that synthetic biology raises new ethical issues in creating artifi cial life and in blurring the boundaries
between animate and inanimate. However, bioethicists themselves differ in their views on this: some perceive a need
for ‘synthetic bioethics’, others see little novelty in synthetic biology ethical issues. This debate might be helped by
greater clarity in defi nition. Semantic problems arise in part because researchers use terms and metaphors (such as ‘living
machines’) that appear to blur the boundary between living and non-living matter.
As there is extensive discussion on ethical issues in synthetic biology in the publications already cited (in particular the
German Statement and the Royal Society publication described in footnote 21) as well as in the sources listed in Table
3, the EASAC Working Group did not address these ethical matters in further detail. However, as noted elsewhere in
this report, EASAC suggests that the academies should support further analysis and debate on ethical issues, perhaps
through the mechanism of the Standing Committee on Science and Ethics of the All European Academies (ALLEA).
32 | December 2010 | Realising European potential in synthetic biology
EASAC
AAAS
American Association for the Advancement of Science
ALLEA
All European Academies
CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
DNA Deoxyribonucleic
acid
DG Enterprise and Industry
European Commission Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry
DG Research
European Commission Directorate General for Research
DG Sanco
European Commission Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection
EASAC
European Academies Science Advisory Council
EGE
European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies
EMBO
European Molecular Biology Organisation
EMEA
European Medicines Agency
EU European
Union
FDA
Food and Drug Administration
GM Genetically
modifi ed
GMOs Genetically
modifi ed organisms
IAP InterAcademy
Panel
iGEM
International Genetically Engineered Machine
IPR
Intellectual property rights
IT Information
technology
MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
NGO Non-governmental
organisation
NIH
National Institutes of Health
R&D
Research and development
RNA Ribonucleic
acid
SMEs
Small and medium-sized enterprises
XNA Xeno-nucleic
acid
List of abbreviations
EASAC
Realising European potential in synthetic biology | December 2010 | 33
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For further information:
EASAC Secretariat
Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina
German National Academy of Sciences
Postfach 110543
06019 Halle (Saale)
Germany
tel +49 (0)345 4723 9831
fax +49 (0)345 4723 9839
email secretariat@easac.eu
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December 2010
ISBN: 978-3-8047-2866-0
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Realising European potential in synthetic biology:
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