Two of the leading researchers in the field spoke out, yesterday, on their opinions on the potential for the industry of synthetic biology and how they felt that it should be regulated.
Both Craig Venter (J. Craig Venter Institute) and George Church (Harvard University professor) both believe that government regulation is necessary in order to maintain safety within synthetic biology as it continues to develop. President Obama ordered that a commission be put together to study if there was any need for regulation for the field and to determine the degree of danger the field presented to the public.
“If you have a speed limit but no one enforcing it, you’ll have people speeding. You need to proactively set up a radar system and surveil it.’’ Church said, in a statement encouraging preliminary action that would be preventative in nature. This mentality is similar to that of the medical field where "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Allison Snow, a professor from Ohio State University, said that the environmental aspects would have to be monitored as well so accidental releases of toxins and bacteria could be minimized.
The panel was called for after the J. Craig Venter Institute announced that they had "created synthetic life". Yesterday was the first day of two that the panel will convene and discuss the merits and possible dangers of the field.
The article containing more information can be found here.
Chris
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