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SUMMARY:Expecting the Best and the Worst from Synthetic Biology - Dr. Clai
 re Marris\, King's College London
DTSTART:20131010T151500Z
DTEND:20131010T170000Z
UID:TALK47419@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:RSKD
DESCRIPTION:Synthetic biology aims to make biology easier to engineer. The
  idea is that scientists and engineers can work together to implement a ra
 tional design cycle similar to that used in aeronautics or informatics\, b
 ut based on biological parts rather than mechanical and electronic ones. W
 ell-characterised and catalogued biological parts would be assembled into 
 devices and larger systems that predictably perform human-designed functio
 ns within host cells - renamed  “chassis” in this context. Proponents 
 of this emerging field argue that it has huge economic and industrial pote
 ntial and that it can help address important global health\, energy and en
 vironmental problems. At the same time\, worries are expressed that by mak
 ing biology easier for anyone to engineer\, the knowledge and biological p
 arts produced could be used by ‘outsiders’ for malevolent purposes\, s
 uch as bioweapons\, or that unqualified DIY biologists may inadvertently u
 nleash harmful organisms into the environment. Proponents also worry that 
 ‘the public’ will react unfavourably to the idea of scientists making 
 ‘living machines’ or ‘creating Life from scratch’. I will argue th
 at\, somewhat ironically\, expectations about the potential use of synthet
 ic biology by terrorists and about fearful public reactions are part of th
 e promissory construction of synthetic biology. Positive and negative expe
 ctations for synthetic biology are based on the same speculative assumptio
 ns about the field’s ability to produce and provide easy access to well-
 characterised biological parts that function predictably when assembled an
 d inserted into living chassis. My research on contemporary experimental p
 ractices of synthetic biologists suggests that challenging these assumptio
 ns is important and would lead to re-directing policy concerns and public 
 debate to more mundane but no less important issues\, for example about wh
 at happens if and when the predictability and containment of engineered bi
 ology cannot be assured.
LOCATION:Small Lecture Theatre\, Department of Geography\, Downing Site
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