Team:Hong Kong-CUHK/Human practice

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<li><a href="/Team:Hong_Kong-CUHK/Human_practice/ethics">Ethics</a></li>
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<h2>Human practices</h2><br/><br/>
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<h1>&nbsp;</h1>
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<p><strong>Aspiration</strong></p>
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<p><i><a href="#top">(Back to top)</a></i></p><br/>
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<p>Synthetic biology emerges as a multidisciplinary technology. Not only does it allow us to change the way we live, it does also improve the quality of life<sup>1</sup>. Synthetic biology becomes an integral part of our life. But the acceptance of synthetic biology is still divergent.</p>
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<p>In July 2002, the researchers at the State University of New York announced that they had synthesized the deadly and virulent poliovirus<sup>2</sup>. So the opponents of synthetic biology showed worries about how easy it is for the scientists to construct life and bioweapons which may wreak havoc to the environment and human life.</p>
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<p>In September 2010, a poll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by Hart Research Associates and the Synthetic Biology Project at the Woodrow Wilson Center showed that about two-third of Americans thought synthetic biology should be further developed with more understanding on the possible effect on human and the environment, but the others opposed and suggested a ban on it<sup>3</sup>.</p>
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<p>Another poll about synthetic biology also reflected that 27 percent of participants thought that synthetic biology might have security concerns like making use of it to make harmful things. While 25 percent of participants believed that it might have moral concerns that would affect the health of human. And 13 percent of participants showed worries about the possible damages to the environment<sup>3</sup>.</p>
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<p>As a result, CUHK iGEM team is aspired to provide space of discussion for the public to delve into the biosafety and biosecurity of Synthetic biology, according to David Regeski, the Director of the Synthetic Biology project who conducted the poll, &ldquo;Much more attention needs to be paid to addressing biosafety and biosecurity risks&rdquo; <sup>3</sup>. Therefore, throughout these months, we have been actively engaging in human practices to address the synthetic biology safety and security issue to allow the public to get more insights.</p>
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<p><strong>Approaches to acquire people&rsquo;s opinions on synthetic biology</strong></p>
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<p><i><a href="#top">(Back to top)</a></i></p><br/>
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<p>In order to get a better understanding of how people from different disciplines perceive synthetic biology, CUHK iGEM team has been consistently adopting many ways to collect the public idea on this issue.</p>
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<p>To collect large sample size effectively from public perception on the synthetic biology, we conducted a <a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:Hong_Kong-CUHK/Human_practice/questionnaire">questionnaire</a> to distribute through the website. In the questionnaire, we set general questions for people from different backgrounds to easily understand synthetic biology, and at the same time effectively acquire their views.</p>
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<p>Others than the public, we also set up the <a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:Hong_Kong-CUHK/Human_practice/ethics">ethics</a> part of synthetic biology from practitioners with different specialties. In the ethics part, the information collected ranges from the possible ethical issue of synthetic biology to the possible solutions to the existing ethic problem.</p>
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<p>With these approaches adopted, we acknowledge diverse views and opinions from the public to formulate the most suitable and effective action to raise people&rsquo;s awareness on the social and ethical aspect of synthetic biology.</p>
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<p><strong>Practices: </strong></p>
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<p><i><a href="#top">(Back to top)</a></i></p><br/>
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<p>In order to introduce synthetic biology to the public as well as to ease their concerns about the bio-safety problems of synthetic biology, CUHK iGEM team organized a variety of human practices targeting different audiences.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Our human practices focus on three main parts, namely education, promotion and biosafety.</p>
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<p>For the education, we arranged <a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:Hong_Kong-CUHK/Human_practice/talks>talks</a> in high school and college to arouse interest of future generations about synthetic biology and raise their awareness about the biosafety concerns towards synthetic biology, in a hope that they can be inspired to explore more potential applications and develop their critical thinking on the biosafety of synthetic biology.</p>
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<p>Besides students, the general public is also one of our targets. In order to promote synthetic biology to them, we broadcasted two educational programs about synthetic biology via a local online broadcasting channel. In the <a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:Hong_Kong-CUHK/Human_practice/radio">radio program</a>, we introduced what synthetic biology was and discussed about the possible solutions to tackle the biosafety problems regarding to synthetic biology. We hope that the radio program stirs public interest about synthetic biology and at the same time, eases their worries about the biosafety issues.</p>
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<p>Our team takes <a href="https://2011.igem.org/Team:Hong_Kong-CUHK/Safety">biosafety</a> issues very seriously.&nbsp; In addition to employing "risk management" approach in our research work, our instructors have also conducted a risk assessment report. Not only do we focus on the biosafety of the individual researchers, we also concern the biosafety of the public and the environment. As a result, we proposed a number of safety measures to ensure that neither the public nor the environment will be harmed. We also provided suggestions about the biosafety issues of synthetic biology for the future iGEM teams.</p>
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<p><i><a href="#top">(Back to top)</a></i></p><br/><br/>
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<p>Reference:</p>
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<p>1 The emerging of synthetic biology: <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/article/14077/">http://www.technologyreview.com/article/14077/</a></p>
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<p>2 &nbsp;OECD, Royal Society (2010), &ldquo;Symposium onOpportunities and Challenges in the Emerging Field of Synthetic Biology &ndash;Synthesis Report&rdquo;</p>
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<p>3&nbsp; Poll result: <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-09/poen-tpl090810.php">http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-09/poen-tpl090810.php</a></p>
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<strong>SyntheticBiology ethics</strong>
 
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Syntheticbiology, a novel advancement in science field, is a popular study inrecent years. Itopens door for the scientists to innovate their ideas and put them into practice.However, some people are concerned about the ethical issues of it, namelybiosafety, environmental damages, biosecurity and intellectual property right.In the following discussion,light will be shed on these aspects and solutions.
 
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Withrespect to the biosafety issue, it may be difficult to identify agents ofconcern. It is because synthetic biology involves the creation of lots of novelorganisms in which it is challenging to classify them with regard to <a name="OLE_LINK1">pathogeny</a>. The reasons for this are because of the lack ofprior experience, difficulties in identifying sequences with pathogenicproperties as well as the unsuitability of methods or practice used.&nbsp;
 
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Otherthan that, the leakage of “bio-product” may threaten our health and nature.Upon the creation of biological organisms without in-depth understanding, itbrings loads of uncertainties in terms of the control means and pathogenicpossibility. Once they are leaked, it may result from undesirable crossbreedingamong products themselves, or worse with other natural organisms whichseriously wreak havoc on the human health or even nature. One scenario is likethat infectious disease may be transmitted from laboratory workers to theirfamily members, and to the whole community through incontrollable airbornetransmission. There have been such documented cases of virus leakage fromlaboratories. For example, the leakage of smallpox poxvirus in Birmingham laboratoryin United Kingdom in 1978, SARS virus in Singapore and in China in 2003 and2004 respectively, which controversially draw people’s attentions on thebiosafety of synthetic biology.
 
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Otherthan biosafety problem, environmental damages are also one of the concerns. Withthe requirement of the resources for developing biomass of synthetic biology,it would be exploiting our ecosystems like lands and other natural resources.For example, large pieces of land were used to the bio-fuel development due toland limitation, which puts intense pressures on land that potentially affectthe food yield, communities and the current ecosystem.
 
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Biosecurityis also one of the concerns of the synthetic biology. Given an understandingthat some products are easily synthesized and lethal, it leads to the easyacquisition of the virulent strains for bioterrorism as weapon for detrimentalpurpose. For example in 2002, poliovirus was easily synthesized with anestimated cost USD 7500 in laboratory setting in universities.
 
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Asidesfrom that, intellectual property right is also one of the problems. It isbecause synthetic biology involves originalities with a number of new productsand techniques invented. This may lead to the copyright problem and dilemmabetween openness of resources and patent.
 
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Regulationsand policy can help solving these problems. By regulating DNA synthesis throughencouraging the companies which synthesize genes to report the questionable DNAorders, this is effective in regulating the ethical issues and currently inpractice in United Stats and France. Other than that, building an up-to-datedatabase that shows the sequences of genes and experiments which are at riskcan also get the root of the problems.
 
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To dealwith the issue of intellectual property right, improving the intellectualproperty system to a sound and effective system is an integral part such thatthe design rights are protected and the “openness sources” of synthetic biologycan be attained at the same time.
 
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Enhancingthe international cooperation in regulating and governing synthetic biology isan effective way to cope with biosafety and biosecurity problems. Differentcountries can exchange the sources and data, and communicate to establishmeasures to wrestle with the existing concerns due to synthetic biologyregardless of the difficulties. For example, human genome project paves thepath for the success of countries collaboration in solving problems.
 
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In thesocial aspects, a lot of steps can be taken to deal with the synthetic biologyissue. First, creating platforms for the public to discuss about it is anefficient way to collect different opinions from people from all disciplines of life. Since the technology ofsynthetic biology is closely related to the life of the public so that thepublic should have the right and obligation to engage in decision-makingprocess. Not only does it help collect more diverse ideas, it can also allowthe public to know more about the safety and security problems with regard to syntheticbiology.
 
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Anothersocial aspect that we can take action is through education. Taking iGEMcompetition as an example, it provides opportunities for undergraduate and highschool students to learn and practice synthetic biology in a risk-free environment. Other thancompetition, some universities do provide courses regarding to biosafety andbiosecurity by holding seminars and conferences.
 
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Althoughsynthetic biology brings a lot of benefits to our society and the world, italso has some potentially ethical problems that we need to focus. As a result,it is a part andparcel for us to delve into,in order to carve out a better future with the development of the syntheticbiology.
 
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1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;OECD, Royal Society (2010), “Symposium onOpportunities and Challenges in the Emerging Field of Synthetic Biology –Synthesis Report”.
 
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2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Presidential Committee for the Study ofBioethical Issues: New directions: the ethics of synthetic biology and emergingtechnologies. 2010 [http://<a href="http://www.bioethics.gov/news/">www.bioethics.gov/news/</a>].
 
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3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;http://www.bmj.com/content/325/7377/1371/reply
 
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Latest revision as of 16:43, 28 October 2011

Human practices



 

Aspiration

(Back to top)


Synthetic biology emerges as a multidisciplinary technology. Not only does it allow us to change the way we live, it does also improve the quality of life1. Synthetic biology becomes an integral part of our life. But the acceptance of synthetic biology is still divergent.

In July 2002, the researchers at the State University of New York announced that they had synthesized the deadly and virulent poliovirus2. So the opponents of synthetic biology showed worries about how easy it is for the scientists to construct life and bioweapons which may wreak havoc to the environment and human life.

In September 2010, a poll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by Hart Research Associates and the Synthetic Biology Project at the Woodrow Wilson Center showed that about two-third of Americans thought synthetic biology should be further developed with more understanding on the possible effect on human and the environment, but the others opposed and suggested a ban on it3.

Another poll about synthetic biology also reflected that 27 percent of participants thought that synthetic biology might have security concerns like making use of it to make harmful things. While 25 percent of participants believed that it might have moral concerns that would affect the health of human. And 13 percent of participants showed worries about the possible damages to the environment3.

As a result, CUHK iGEM team is aspired to provide space of discussion for the public to delve into the biosafety and biosecurity of Synthetic biology, according to David Regeski, the Director of the Synthetic Biology project who conducted the poll, “Much more attention needs to be paid to addressing biosafety and biosecurity risks” 3. Therefore, throughout these months, we have been actively engaging in human practices to address the synthetic biology safety and security issue to allow the public to get more insights.

Approaches to acquire people’s opinions on synthetic biology

(Back to top)


In order to get a better understanding of how people from different disciplines perceive synthetic biology, CUHK iGEM team has been consistently adopting many ways to collect the public idea on this issue.

To collect large sample size effectively from public perception on the synthetic biology, we conducted a questionnaire to distribute through the website. In the questionnaire, we set general questions for people from different backgrounds to easily understand synthetic biology, and at the same time effectively acquire their views.

Others than the public, we also set up the ethics part of synthetic biology from practitioners with different specialties. In the ethics part, the information collected ranges from the possible ethical issue of synthetic biology to the possible solutions to the existing ethic problem.

With these approaches adopted, we acknowledge diverse views and opinions from the public to formulate the most suitable and effective action to raise people’s awareness on the social and ethical aspect of synthetic biology.

Practices:

(Back to top)


In order to introduce synthetic biology to the public as well as to ease their concerns about the bio-safety problems of synthetic biology, CUHK iGEM team organized a variety of human practices targeting different audiences. 

Our human practices focus on three main parts, namely education, promotion and biosafety.

For the education, we arranged radio program, we introduced what synthetic biology was and discussed about the possible solutions to tackle the biosafety problems regarding to synthetic biology. We hope that the radio program stirs public interest about synthetic biology and at the same time, eases their worries about the biosafety issues.

Our team takes biosafety issues very seriously.  In addition to employing "risk management" approach in our research work, our instructors have also conducted a risk assessment report. Not only do we focus on the biosafety of the individual researchers, we also concern the biosafety of the public and the environment. As a result, we proposed a number of safety measures to ensure that neither the public nor the environment will be harmed. We also provided suggestions about the biosafety issues of synthetic biology for the future iGEM teams.

(Back to top)



Reference:

1 The emerging of synthetic biology: http://www.technologyreview.com/article/14077/

2  OECD, Royal Society (2010), “Symposium onOpportunities and Challenges in the Emerging Field of Synthetic Biology –Synthesis Report”

3  Poll result: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-09/poen-tpl090810.php


"Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things." - Theodore Levitt

©Copyright CUHK IGEM Team 2011