2015 thesis · Long-form review
Security in the New Era of Synthetic Biology
B.S. Cellular & Molecular Biology · University of Newcastle upon
Tyne, UK. The full PDF is below. Read the summary on the left, then preview or download the file
Synthetic Biology
Biosecurity
Policy & Ethics
Summary
S ynthetic biology moved genetic engineering forward quickly. But the regulatory frameworks still largely rely on GMO legislation from the 90s and 00s. That legislation was never designed for the unique capabilities of synthetic biology
I examine the legal, security and social issues that this gap creates. They include the risks of dual-use research, the challenges of biocontainment, and the intellectual property rules for synthetically modified organisms. Paradoxically, at the time of writing (2015), the technical complexity and economic barriers of the field act as natural limits on misuse. At the same time, open-source platforms such as BioBricks speed up innovation and raise biosecurity concerns
T he thesis concludes that the greatest potential of synthetic biology is to strengthen global food, energy and health security. Examples range from engineered bacteriophages that fight antibiotic resistance to next-generation biofuels
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