Positioning Synthetic Biology to Meet the Challenges of the 21st Century Summary Report of a Six Academies Symposium Series (2013) / Chapter Skim
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4 Opportunities and Challenges Emerging via a Networked World
4 Opportunities and Challenges Emerging via a Networked World
Pages 25-40
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From page 25... ...
Synthetic biology's emergence parallels trends in advanced manufacturing in which operations are becoming increasingly global and networked-based.1 With this movement, companies are beginning to commercialize products developed through synthetic biology (See Box 4-1)
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From page 26... ...
Nevertheless, Amyris views synthetic biology as viable technology that offers solutions to global challenges. Recently, for example, the company announced a multi-year agree ment with the global company International Flavors & Frangrances, Inc.
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Monsanto also is collaborating with SGI in research on plant-microbe relationships. Other industrial ventures include investments in plant-based production of rubber, biobased acrylics, "green" chemicals made from biological waste, vitamin production, and biologically based diesel production using renewable carbohydrates.9 In Washington, DC, Darlene Solomon, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Agilent Technologies, a global firm specializing in measurement, described Agilent's analysis of market trends since 1940 -- including the growth of measurement technology, electronics, chemical analysis, communication and the Internet, and personalized medicine.
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From page 28... ...
The FBI, he said, maintains a dialogue with scientists, students, and members of the DIY community for the purposes of keeping abreast of current developments and educating the synthetic biologists on the broader security picture. "Many people in the life sciences," he observed, "have never heard of the Biological Weapons Convention.
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From page 29... ...
. She noted, however, that advances in synthetic biology will likely be accelerated by the parallel growth of related technologies, such as DNA sequencing and computing.
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$20 billion in synthetic biology products Cells routinely engineered to produce desired bulk and fine chemicals In 20 or 30 years? Rationally engineered multi-cellular tissues or organs Widely deployed cellular computing systems Novel biological manufacturing processes for non-biological products The first tools and applications of synthetic biology are being developed at the molecular and cellular level.
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From page 31... ...
Solomon commented that historically, timing the development of standards has been a balancing act for developing technologies -- whether to stay open in terms of standards, because the knowledge base is still developing, or to develop convergent standards that improve efficiency. Marc Salit, Research Chemist, National Institute of Standards and Technology, reminded participants that existing standards institutes can serve as a resource and provide methodologies for the development of interoperable modular parts.
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From page 32... ...
However, cost-effective production of industrial chemicals requires engineering of highly efficient microbial strains.15 The development of a viable product containing synthetic parts, however, remains a "herculean" effort, said Endy, who observed that it cost $25 million to genetically engineer E coli and yeast to produce the chemical precursor to the antimalarial drug artemisinin.
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From page 33... ...
Recognizing that science tends to move forward much faster than policy formation, early attention to issues associated with the governance and regulation of synthetic biology seem to be particularly appropriate. Patrick Boyle, Postdoctoral Fellow, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, suggested that it would be best for synthetic biologists to continue their efforts to engage with regulatory bodies now, before the number of products becomes overwhelming.23 17 OpenWetWare, a project to promote information-sharing among researchers in biology and biological engineering.
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At the Shanghai symposium, Gordon Zong, Managing Director of The Office of Technology Transfer at Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences and Adjunct Professor at Shanghai Intellectual Property Research Center, noted that in China, intellectual property law is not well developed and that patent considerations have not played a large role in the early stages of developments in synthetic biology. Rochelle Cooper Dreyfuss, Pauline Newman Professor of Law, New York University School of Law, noted that, in the case of biological materials, U.S.
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Synthetic biologists are developing standards for the physical composition of parts, but there are many types of standards -- functional standards, for instance -- that may be subject to patent hold-ups if an uncooperative third-party patent holder were to refuse to issue a non-exclusive license to use, for example, a standard bacterial promoter that measures and reports on the relative activity of a sample promoter. Thus, a major question for researchers is whether synthetic biology can thrive within existing intellectual property systems or whether a new national or international intellectual property framework is needed.
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From page 36... ...
At the three symposia, presenters representing petroleum, microchip, and genetic synthesis organizations, business collectives, and national and regional trade organizations described potential alliances and strategies that might strengthen synthetic biology. In Washington, DC, Lionel Clarke, Biodomain Global Strategic Programme Manager, Shell Global Solutions, observed that industry views synthetic biology as a promising field with the potential to offer solutions to many problems.
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From page 37... ...
Fotheringham suggested addressing these concerns by furnishing evidence of the reliability of a given product, defining approaches that increase the speed of production while reducing costs and risks, and ensuring a clear agreement about the allocation of intellectual property. Furthermore, he suggested that managers need to build interdisciplinary teams and network actively to find new users and remain current on developing trends.
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Synthetic biologists recognized early the importance of public acceptance in preparing to commercialize synthetic biology products. Experiences with the European rejection of genetically modified food, for example, illustrate the perils of not involving the public often and early in discussions about emerging technologies.
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The ideal roadmap is not a straitjacket but a marker showing targets to address but also allows shifts to other areas as the knowledge base grows, or as breakthroughs occur, said Guo-ping Zhao. Richard Johnson suggested that the best way to advance synthetic biology would be to produce a consensus-based global roadmap.
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From page 40... ...
we,…both in Britain and across the world, have a responsibility for the right regulatory environment which enables rapid scientific progress whilst ensuring public safety and confidence around… ethical issues. David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science, U.K.
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