TY - JOUR
T1 - Synthetic biology
T2 - Ethical ramifications 2009
AU - Rabinow, Paul
AU - Bennett, Gaymon
N1 - Funding Information:
Although there are often no explicit statements in the manifestos, personal communications and closer examinations of scientific articles reveal an underlying ethical substrate in which developments in science and significant medical issues are combined in commitment to the common good. The funding of a series of research projects reveals a connection and a commitment to medical issues. For example, a project at the Weiss lab funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation explores signaling systems in bacterial populations so as to design biological interventions that would down-regulate the production of microbial biofilm, a source of great distress for CF patients.
PY - 2009/10
Y1 - 2009/10
N2 - During 2007 and 2008 synthetic biology moved from the manifesto stage to research programs. As of 2009, synthetic biology is ramifying; to ramify means to produce differentiated trajectories from previous determinations. From its inception, most of the players in synthetic biology agreed on the need for (a) rationalized design and construction of new biological parts, devices, and systems as well as (b) the re-design of natural biological systems for specified purposes, and that (c) the versatility of designed biological systems makes them suitable to address such challenges as renewable energy, the production of inexpensive drugs, and environmental remediation, as well as providing a catalyst for further growth of biotechnology. What is understood by these goals, however, is diverse. Those assorted understandings are currently contributing to different ramifications of synthetic biology. The Berkeley Human Practices Lab, led by Paul Rabinow, is currently devoting its efforts to documenting and analyzing these ramifications as they emerge.
AB - During 2007 and 2008 synthetic biology moved from the manifesto stage to research programs. As of 2009, synthetic biology is ramifying; to ramify means to produce differentiated trajectories from previous determinations. From its inception, most of the players in synthetic biology agreed on the need for (a) rationalized design and construction of new biological parts, devices, and systems as well as (b) the re-design of natural biological systems for specified purposes, and that (c) the versatility of designed biological systems makes them suitable to address such challenges as renewable energy, the production of inexpensive drugs, and environmental remediation, as well as providing a catalyst for further growth of biotechnology. What is understood by these goals, however, is diverse. Those assorted understandings are currently contributing to different ramifications of synthetic biology. The Berkeley Human Practices Lab, led by Paul Rabinow, is currently devoting its efforts to documenting and analyzing these ramifications as they emerge.
KW - ELSI
KW - Human practices
KW - Social consequences
KW - SynBERC
KW - Synthetic biology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=70350398851&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1007/s11693-009-9042-7
DO - 10.1007/s11693-009-9042-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 19816805
AN - SCOPUS:70350398851
VL - 3
SP - 99
EP - 108
JO - Systems and Synthetic Biology
JF - Systems and Synthetic Biology
SN - 1872-5325
IS - 1
ER -