[ad_1]
“It’s been transformational for the field, involving young people and opening their eyes to the potential for life-building rather than just observing,” said David Haussler, professor of biomolecular engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “Drew Endy has become a mentor to a whole new generation.”
Synthetic biology holds great promise, but there is also a dark side. Hacking biology and democratizing the tools to do so unleashes the specter of an enraged loner or terrorist group that has created its own pandemic, genetically targeting its enemies, among other potential fears.
Although Mr. Endy is a champion of synthetic biology, he has had a clear view of the risks from the start. In 2003 he was lead author of a report for the Pentagon’s advanced research agency that laid out a framework for developing synthetic biology and managing its risks. In the report, he evaluated the spectrum of danger and envisioned the threat of bad actors as “Bin Laden Genetics”.
Mr. Endy said today that risk management should begin with the assumption that in the not-too-distant future, “anyone, anywhere can make any virus from scratch”.
One line of protection is synthetic biology itself. For example, Mr. Endy points to the possibility of advanced technologies, such as engineered chromosomes, that will give humans an established defense system against the world’s top 20 pathogens.
But countermeasures also depend on social cohesion and institutional effectiveness, the kind that has proven challenging during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as resistance to vaccination and mask-wearing and gaps in the public health system.
Mr. Endy acknowledges that the risks are worrisome and add to the concerns associated with the entire synthetic biology effort. If not unholy, it could easily be interpreted as a nuisance tampering with nature.
[ad_2]
Source link