Synthetic Biology between Self-Regulation and Public Discourse: Ethical Issues and the Many Roles of the Ethicist

Árnason, Garðar

doi:10.1017/s0963180116000840

Cited by 16 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The need for a SynBio-specific regulation is mentioned in sixteen papers. ,,,− ,,,,,,,,,, Eight papers mention the need for creating regulations specific to each application of SynBio significantly since the consequence of each application varies. ,,,,,,, For example, one paper mentions that some applications might have a significant effect on our understanding of human relationships with nature more than the rest. Hence, each should be assessed on its own merits .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond the Organism versus Machine Dichotomy: A Review of Ethical Concerns in Synthetic Biology

Aravind Paleri,

Hens

2023

ACS Synth. Biol.

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Synthetic Biology (SynBio) is a technology that brings new possibilities and benefits, as well as new ethical concerns. We have performed a systematic review and thematic analysis of papers that deal with the possible ethical and social issues surrounding SynBio. We found that articles mention deontological concerns related to tinkering with life and more consequentialist matters related to biosafety and biosecurity. At the same time, justice aspects, such as socioeconomic and environmental impacts, are far less mentioned. Moreover, there is a lack of systematic study of the ethical issues that SynBio researchers in the lab encounter on a day-to-day basis.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond the Organism versus Machine Dichotomy: A Review of Ethical Concerns in Synthetic Biology

Aravind Paleri,

Hens

2023

ACS Synth. Biol.

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“…DIYgenomics . Based on recent advances in CRISPR technology, the DIY CRISPR kits are currently available for US$ 140 (Arnason, ). Fundamentally, DIYgenomics has two types of risks related to the various degrees in which the consequences of on‐target mutations and off‐target mutations are uncertain or unknown (Getz & Dellaire, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…DIYgenomics. Based on recent advances in CRISPR technology, the DIY CRISPR kits are currently available for US$ 140 (Arnason, 2017).…”

Section: Experts Assessment Of the Risks Of Diy Biology Applicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unconventional settings and uses of human enhancement technologies: A non‐systematic review of public and experts' views on self‐enhancement and DIY biology/biohacking risks

Gaspar

Rohde

Giger

2019

Human Behav and Emerg Tech

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Human enhancement aims at improving individual human performance through science‐based or technology‐based interventions in the human body. For various decades, associated research and applications/interventions were performed in conventional settings (e.g., research institutes) through conventional regulated and controlled procedures (e.g., clinical trials). In the last decade there has been an emergence of science activities grounded on emerging technologies used in unconventional settings (e.g., households; community labs), often through unconventional unregulated and uncontrolled procedures (e.g., self‐administration of substances). The Do‐It‐Yourself Biology or Biohacking movement is an example of communities supportive of such activities, which use emerging technologies such as the CRISPR technique. Among others, these can have other or self‐enhancement goals. Because such activities are anticipated to increase in the future, and due to the methods novelty, lack of regulation, quality, and safety control, there is uncertainty regarding personal and social consequences. Thus, these can be considered to present an emerging risk to human health and the environment. A first step in risk regulation is considering ethical aspects of emerging technologies use, which has been implemented. A second step to sustain subsequent evidence‐based risk management and risk communication to citizen scientists, is necessary. It should involve risk assessment by experts and an understanding of public views on human enhancement technologies. Due to the scarce literature, gathering information to support this step was the goal of a non‐systematic literature review. This focused on internal enhancements through substances intake and human body manipulations, specifically DIY biology/biohacking activities with this goal.

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“…[1][2][3][4][5] On the other hand, it is an open secret that the half-life period of prognoses-especially in the field of (bio-)technology-is extremely short. On the one hand, we do need prognoses in order to give or receive orientation-an orientation which is required for both science and society.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Society, meanwhile, needs scenarios about the anticipated modes of the (technologically embedded) future in order to shape potentially novel social practices, norms, and values. [1][2][3][4][5] On the other hand, it is an open secret that the half-life period of prognoses-especially in the field of (bio-)technology-is extremely short.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

(Re‐)Designing Nature? An Overview and Outlook on the Ethical and Societal Challenges in Synthetic Biology

Braun

Fernau

2019

Adv. Biosys.

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to provide an initial systematization of the ethical and socio-scientific debate on SB by structuring and categorizing issues that have been widely discussed and debated in recent years. The investigation included international ethical and societal research on SB, covering the period from January 2010 to December 2017. Even though we are aware that there have been several developments before it was referred to as SB, [6] this sample period was selected as the experiments of Craig Venter and his team in the year 2010 marked the birth of broader public and scientific attention to SB, as well as the rise and further establishment of SB as a distinct research discipline.We predefined five main fields of ethical research in order to map the scope of the respective debates. These fields were based on theoretical presuppositions informed by our preliminary theoretical and empirical research and the resulting experiences within the field of ethical and societal challenges of SB. The five fields are: 1) the definition and scope of possible applications; 2) questions of biosafety and -security; 3) the impact of SB on taken-for-granted cultural perceptions and values; 4) SB as a new mode of public participation in science; 5) issues of sustainable governance and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). With these five fields in mind, we searched for relevant articles on Scopus and PubMed. These are two of the largest international research databases, which cover a broad spectrum of ethical and socio-scientific work within the context of biotechnologies. The selected search term was "synthetic biology" in combination with several distinctive codes, which can be assigned to the aforementioned predefined main fields of ethical research ( Table 1).In general, our literature analysis has several methodological limitations. As it is not a comprehensive systematic literature review, it does not provide a broad set of quantitative data scrutinizing all debates, issues and questions on the ethical and societal challenges in SB. Nevertheless, our analysis provides a structured overview on and an initial systematization of the most relevant topics within the discussion on SB in recent years. Additionally, this article aims to provide an analysis and discussion of the current state of play of ethical and societal issues in SB.The first section is concerned with the question of a possible definition of SB and the issue of how we could describe and analyze its technological progress with regard to ethical and societal challenges. As one frequent debate of the last few This structured literature analysis aims to map the current, emerging, and predicted future of synthetic biology (SB) by putting the focus on the implied conceptual, societal, and ethical challenges. The central objective of the analysis is to provide an initial systematization of the ethical and socio-scientific debate on SB by structuring and categorizing widely discussed issues within the debate in recent years. Starting with the quest for possible definitions, issues ...

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Synthetic Biology between Self-Regulation and Public Discourse: Ethical Issues and the Many Roles of the Ethicist

Cited by 16 publications

References 20 publications

Beyond the Organism versus Machine Dichotomy: A Review of Ethical Concerns in Synthetic Biology

Beyond the Organism versus Machine Dichotomy: A Review of Ethical Concerns in Synthetic Biology

Unconventional settings and uses of human enhancement technologies: A non‐systematic review of public and experts' views on self‐enhancement and DIY biology/biohacking risks

(Re‐)Designing Nature? An Overview and Outlook on the Ethical and Societal Challenges in Synthetic Biology

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