President's Bioethics Commission Strikes the Right Balance

This article was first published by Science Progress.

By Jonathan D. Moreno 

The President’s Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues released its first report, the result of a six-month study of synthetic biology. The study was ordered by the president in response to an announcement last May by the J. Craig Venter Institute that it had inserted a laboratory-made genome into a bacterial cell, creating an organism not found in nature. Observers disagree about whether the technical achievement should be considered the creation of life or not, but the announcement drew public attention to the implications of the rapidly growing synbio field.

According to the report, synthetic biology holds great promise to unlock new possibilities in human health and environmental protection. Scientists and entrepreneurs are already working to devise ways to use cells with synthetic genomes to produce renewable fuels, hydrogen, or even generate electricity directly through artificial photosynthesis. In health care it is hoped that synbio may one day lead to improved production of drugs and vaccines, and to novel treatments.

But, as with any valuable new technology, the pursuit of these benefits comes along with certain risks that must be weighed accordingly. Concerns about intentional misuse of synthetic biology aside, there is also the possibility that synthetically developed microbes could escape domestication and cause damage to ecosystems or human health. The report released today recommends a series of regulatory measures to anticipate those risks.