Synthetic biology: scientific and social aspects
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/arbor.2014.768n4002Keywords:
Life, synthesis, complexity, genomes, risks, DNAAbstract
On 20 May 2010, Craig Venter announced that he had created the first self-replicating synthetic genome capable of controlling the metabolic behaviour of host cells. The reaction to Venter’s announcement was surprise and amazement, but raised a range of alarms from enlightened enthusiasm to exclamations of uncertainty: What did this announcement mean? Biology had entered the digital age. Claims about potential risks and benefits invaded the scientific world. Were we approaching the “creation of life” by design? What is the difference between living and non-living matter? Was the organism generated by chemical synthesis the same as that which had been designed? The challenge was to find the conditions in which the genomes and the enucleated hosts could function in unison. Do we have enough knowledge to design interactions between biological units capable of generating new organisms? Scientists have used DNA to modify cells and organisms. In fact, a large industry has grown up based on recombinant DNA technology. Could synthetic biology play a clinical role?.
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