Synthetic Biology: Promises and Perils
In May 2010, researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) in San Diego announced the construction of the first “synthetic” organism, a bacterium powered by an artificially synthesized genome.1 While the de novo generation of life remains beyond scientific reach (the JCVI team transplanted the synthetic genome into an existing Mycoplasma recipient cell), the implications of Venter’s experimental success are profound. A milestone in the nascent field of synthetic biology, JCVI’s pioneering achievement has inspired prospects for the creation of highly customized genomes with agricultural, environmental, and pharmaceutical applications. Nonetheless, many years remain before these prospects can become commercial reality; Venter’s synthetic genome cost an estimated $40 million and was the product of over a decade of research. As technical barriers to engineering entire genomes are gradually overcome, the development of regulatory frameworks for mitigating potential risks associated with synthetic organisms will take precedence. These possible hazards extend beyond those posed by the microbes themselves to include the exploitation of synthetic biology for malicious purposes. The advancement of synthetic biology must therefore occur in the context of sustained and intensive dialogue across multiple sectors of society.
When fully realized, synthetic genomics will revolutionize the manufacture of pharmaceutical products and offer innovative solutions to pressing environmental problems. Foremost, the ability to routinely construct and integrate custom genomes will facilitate the development of novel therapeutics. Researchers have already engineered artificial adenoviruses that target cancer...
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...th a number of risks, and careful evaluation of these hazards must accompany the field’s development. With proper regulatory oversight and safeguards against deliberate misuse, synthetic biology is bound to transform the human condition.
References
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In the late twentieth century, the field of biotechnology and genetic engineering has positioned itself to become one of the great technological revolutions of human history. Yet, things changed when Herber Boyer, a biochemist at the University of California, founded the company Genentech in 1976 to exploit the commercial potential of his research. Since then the field has exploded into a global amalgam of private research firms developing frivolous, profit-hungry products, such as square trees tailor-made for lumber, without any sort of government regulation.
Modern biotechnology was born at the hands of American scientists Herb Boyer and Stain Cohen, when they developed “recombinant deoxyribonucleotide, (rDNA), [1] for medicinal purposes. Subsequently, biotechnologists started genetically engineering agricultural plants using this technology. A single gene responsible for a certain trait, from one organism (usually a bacterium) is selected altered and then ‘spliced” into the DNA of a plant to create an agricultural crop consisting of that...
The three butene products have been verified to elute in the following order: 1-butene, trans-2-butene, and cis-2-butene. Theory: The dehydration of 2-butanol, a secondary alcohol, progresses readily in the presence of a strong acid like concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4). The reaction is completed via the E1 mechanism. Initially, the hydroxyl group is a poor leaving group, but that is remedied by its protonation by the acid catalyst (H2SO4) converting it to a better leaving group, H2O. The loss of this water molecule results in a secondary carbocation intermediate that continues to form an alkene in an E1 elimination.
The Soylent team is hopeful that they can create a “Soylent-producing ‘superorganism’: a single strain of alga that pumps out Soylent all day.” By completely automating agricultural production, we are solving world hunger, lowering chances of resource wars, therefore making the world a better place. The development of synthetic foods is a movement. There are many nutritional issues, both around the world and in this country, and synthetic foods are a viable solution to our problem. People are obese, overweight, diabetic, or malnourished because healthy food is too expensive.
Genetic engineering has been around for many years and is widely used all over the planet. Many people don’t realize that genetic engineering is part of their daily lives and diet. Today, almost 70 percent of processed foods from a grocery store were genetically engineered. Genetic engineering can be in plants, foods, animals, and even humans. Although debates about genetic engineering still exist, many people have accepted due to the health benefits of gene therapy. The lack of knowledge has always tricked people because they only focused on the negative perspective of genetic engineering and not the positive perspective. In this paper, I will be talking about how Genetic engineering is connected to Brave New World, how the history of genetic engineering impacts the world, how genetic engineering works, how people opinions are influenced, how the side effects can be devastating, how the genetic engineering can be beneficial for the society and also how the ethical issues affect people’s perspective.
Wheale, Peter R. and Ruth M. McNally. Genetic Engineering: Catastrophe or Utopia? St. Martin's Press, NY; 1988.
Ridley, M. (1999). Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters. New York: HarperCollins.
Although humans have altered the genomes of species for thousands of years through artificial selection and other non-scientific means, the field of genetic engineering as we now know it did not begin until 1944 when DNA was first identified as the carrier of genetic information by Oswald Avery Colin McLeod and Maclyn McCarty (Stem Cell Research). In the following decades two more important discoveries occurred, first the 1953 discovery of the structure of DNA, by Watson and Crick, and next the 1973 discovery by Cohen and Boyer of a recombinant DNA technique which allowed the successful transfer of DNA into another organism. A year later Rudolf Jaenisch created the world’s first transgenic animal by introducing foreign DNA into a mouse embryo, an experiment that would set the stage for modern genetic engineering (Stem Cell Research). The commercialization of genetic engineering began largely in 1976 wh...
Science and technology are rapidly advancing everyday; in some ways for the better, and in some, for worse. One extremely controversial advance is genetic engineering. As this technology has high potential to do great things, I believe the power genetic engineering is growing out of control. Although society wants to see this concept used to fight disease and illness, enhance people 's lives, and make agriculture more sustainable, there needs to be a point where a line is drawn.
The term ‘genetic engineering’ covers several methods of manipulating genetic material, otherwise known as genetic manipulation; recombinant DNA technology and gene therapy in humans(Atkinson, 1998). This technique is not only used for genetic transfer between plants; but, genes from non-plant organisms can be used as well. A known example of this is the transfer of the B.t gene found in corn and other crops. The B.t gene, or otherwise known as ‘Bacillus thurngiensis (Bt)’; is a naturally occurring bacterium that create proteins with crystals that are fatal to insect larvae (Whitman, 2000). These B.t genes have
Webber, G. D. Regulation of Genetically Engineered Organisms and Products. Office of Biotechnology | Iowa State University Office of Biotechnology. Retrieved September 22, 2013, from http://www.biotech.iastate.edu/biotech_info_series/bio11.html - anchor96278
Genetic Engineering is the deliberate alteration of an organism's genetic information (Lee 1). The outcome scientists refer to as successful entitles the living thing’s ability to produce new substances or perform new functions (Lee 1). In the early 1970’s, direct manipulation of the genetic material deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) became possible and led to the rapid advancement of modern biotechnology (Lee 1).
Wheale, Peter R., and Ruth M. McNally. Genetic Engineering: Catastrophe or Utopia? New York: St. Martin's Press, 1988.
Human Genetic Engineering: Designing the Future As the rate of advancements in technology and science continue to grow, ideas that were once viewed as science fiction are now becoming reality. As we collectively advance as a society, ethical dilemmas arise pertaining to scientific advancement, specifically concerning the controversial topic of genetic engineering in humans.
Synthetic biology, also known as synbio, is a new form of research that began in the year 2000. The Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration (ETC Group) says that synthetic biology is bringing together “engineering and the life sciences in order to design and construct new biological parts, devices and systems that do not currently exist in the natural world’ (Synthetic Biology). Synthetic biology is aiming to create safer medicines, clean energy, and help the environment through synthetically engineered medicines, biofuels, and food. Because synthetic biology has only existed for fourteen years, there is controversy involving its engineering ethics. In this literature review, I am going to summarize and correlate the International Association for Synthetic Biology (IASB) Code of Conduct for Gene Synthesis, the impact of synthetic biology on people and the environment, and the philosophical debates.