Our ideas for safety:
How can iGEM improve biosafety?

Antibiotic resistance has become one of the world's most pressing public health problems[8]. There are safety issues associated with using an antibiotic resistant gene as a selectable marker[9]. By using antibiotic resistant genes in research and particularly in the production of therapeutics raises the potential for horizontal gene transfer to environmental organisms and subsequent expansion of the population of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. With regards to this concern, the FDA is encouraging the use of alternative plasmid selection mechanisms.

The control of gene expression could potentially be helpful in improving the safety of engineered genes by building in complex control circuits to induce expression of the cassette only under certain conditions.

We also suggest the establishment of a branch-off discipline from synthetic biology, called biosafety engineering – where consolidation of all biosafety provisions and protocols into a single specialized field can help to efficiently make parts, devices and systems even safer for industry and consumerism. This opens up a window of opportunity for government watchdogs (consumer protection) and regulatory bodies to assert greater authority in the growing biosciences sector.