The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, www.bbsrc.ac.uk) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) have set up a steering group of independent members to advise them on how to gauge and understand the public’s perceptions, aspirations and concerns around synthetic biology.
BBSRC and EPSRC fund early-stage synthetic biology research across the UK. Researchers have been brought together in networks (synthetic biology networks) that address ethical and other societal issues as well as scientific and technological development.
Synthetic biology is a fast developing area of science that applies engineering principles to biological systems. It offers unique opportunities to deliver significant benefits in areas such as therapeutics, environmental biosensors and potentially novel methods to produce food, drugs, chemicals or energy.
In many cases, synthetic biology is simply an extension of existing technologies, but it also introduces some potentially new technological capabilities, including, in the longer-term, the possibility of making novel simple cell-like entities from biological building blocks.
Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of BBSRC said, "This research has the potential to generate important new products and processes for UK bio-industries and it is vital that we capture these and remain competitive with technologies being pursued elsewhere, notably in the USA. But it is important that we enable people to see what is being done and to contribute to shaping the nature and direction of the research.”
“Our first priority is to identify how best to discuss this very new science with the public,” said Professor David Delpy, Chief Executive of EPSRC. “We are bringing together social scientists, engineers, physical and life sciences researchers, science communicators and representatives from NGOs to advise on such issues and to act as an independent oversight panel for the duration of this endeavour”.
The steering group met for the first time on 12th February 2009 and a workshop was convened on 27th March to allow a wider discussion about the way forward. The workshop built on an independent review commissioned by BBSRC that reported in 2008 on social and ethical challenges posed by synthetic biology (synthetic biology pdf). The Steering Group will convene again in May 2009 to consider the output from the workshop.
The Research Councils have also facilitated discussions between interested parties including researchers, funders and regulators and advisory committees on how the UK regulatory framework will handle potential developments in synthetic biology (regulatory framework pdf).
Dr Brian Johnson who is a member of BBSRC’s Biosciences for Society Panel and chair of its Synthetic Biology working group has agreed to chair this steering group during the scoping and planning phase. Those attending the first steering group meeting on 12 February 2009 were:
Dr Brian Johnson, Chair
Mr Martin Cannell – DEFRA
Professor Richard Jones – Sheffield University
Professor Richard Kitney – ICST
Mrs Suzannah Lansdell – Sciencewise Expert Resource Centre
Dr Tom MacMillan – Food Ethics Council
Dr Lesley Paterson - RAEng
Professor Judith Petts – Birmingham University
Dr Tom Wakeford – PEALS, Newcastle University
Professor Robert Winston – ICST
Professor Dek Woolfson – Bristol University
Professor Phillip Wright – Sheffield University