synthetic biology: nature redesigned

SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY: NATURE REDESIGNED

Eric HoffmanBiotechnology Policy Campaigner

Friends of the Earth U.S.

Nature Redesigned

Humans Dominating Nature (to the Extreme)

Genetic Contamination The New Biomass Economy

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1) Humans Dominating Nature (to the Extreme)

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Humans are trying to re-write the basic genetic code that makes up all life on earth

Cells as hardware, DNA as software, life a computer

Biology (and life) as a machine “Standard Biological Parts” “Chasis” “Genetically Engineered Machines”

Synthetic biology “raises the question of what it means to be human….This potential raises questions such as how we should (and how we will) change ourselves and our environments. Synthetic biology may be especiallypowerful in this respect because it frees the design of

biologicalsystems from the process of natural evolution. The ability tosequence and then synthesize DNA (and even to invent new basecode) adds a new layer to the power of nature: giving

humansthe ability to design and redesign the biological systems

of whichthey themselves are part.”

– Drew Endy, Symposium on Opportunities and Challenges in the

Emerging Field of Synthetic Biology; OECD

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The Synthetic Future

The Bug in the Code5

But genetics, biological systems, and life are a incalculably more complex than computer code

Our ability to synthesize DNA and genes has far outpaced our understanding of what these genes do, how they work, the epigenetic factors involved, etc.

Synthetic organisms may be both powerful and UNPREDICTABLE

The synthetic biologist may not be able to correct the problems they cause.

2) Genetic Contamination

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Intentional or unintentional release of synthetic organisms

Impossible to recall or clean up DNA does not disappear once organism

dies

Gene Transfer7

Horizontal gene transfer between synthetic and wild-type organisms

Viruses multiply by swapping DNA Vertical gene transfer to other organisms

Xenobiology to the Rescue?8

Attempts to create alternative genetic systems will not solve all these problems

Alternative genetic systems: Xenobiology Mirror Biology New nucleotides and base pairs

DNA remains in environment when organism dies

3) The New Biomass Economy9

From Field to Fuel10

“Whoever produces abundant biofuels could end up making more than just big bucks —they will make history…The companies, the countries, that succeed in this will be the economic winners of the next age to the same extent that the oil-rich nations are today.” -J. Craig Venter Synthetic Genomics, Inc., 20 April

2009

Who Will Own the “Biomass Economy?”

New “bio-economy” owned by, and for the benefit of, the Global North

Patents are being sought on: Synthesized genes Synthetic organisms & their products Synthetic biology processes

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What Does the “Biomass Economy” Look like?

http://www.synbioproject.org/library/inventories/map/

http://cdiac.ornl.gov/epubs/ndp/global_carbon/carbon_documentation.html

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Amyris: The Bio-Economy Frontier 13

Amyris Biotechnologies, created out of UC Berkeley

First product – anti-malarial Opened up operations in Brazil to

produce biofuels Cheap sugar! Expansion of industrial sugarcane

industry could be devastating for local environment, communities

Thank you14

Eric HoffmanBiotechnology Policy CampaignerFriends of the Earth U.S.ehoffman@foe.org202.222.0747