Citizen Science wk 4 readings

Synthetic Biology: Applications, Benefits, and Risks

• renewable energy: biofuels are derived from biomass from plants, animals, and organic waste
  • methods of harvesting energy: burning, chemical treatment, biodegradation
  • ethanol is the most common (corn or sugar cane); biodiesel is made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant grease
    • ethanol includes inefficiencies and energy costs for production, concern about volume of plant sources and possible collateral impact on food prices
    • biodiesel involves significant energy costs
  • potential benefits of biofuels produced through synthetic biology: possible reduction in global depends on fossil fuel, cuts in emissions, minimization of economic and political volatility surrounding fossil fuel reserves
    • synthetic biology aims to improve the speed and efficiency of converting biomass into advanced biofuels that are cleaner and more energy-efficient
    • synthetic biology also offers new biomass sources, or feedstocks, that are more efficient, reliable, low-cost, and scalable
    • large global reserves of hydrocarbons might be leveraged
  • butanol: a bioalcohol made by synthetic biology that is more promising that ethanol
  • photosynthetic algae engineered to secrete bio-oil continuously
    • biodegradable and harmless if spilled
    • less polluting and more efficient
    • consumes carbon dioxide
  • hydrogen fuel
• health applications
  • research and development on this is still early
  • medicines
    • metabolic engineering: an organism’s metabolic pathways are redesigned to produce novel products or augment the production of current products (ie drugs)
    • can engineer molecules and cells that express proteins or pathways responsible for human disease
    • arteminsinin: antimalarial drug produced from genetically engineered e.coli that produces a high volume precursor that can be chemically converted to semi-synthetic artemisinin
  • vaccines
    • synthetic biology tools (ie DNA sequencing and computer modeling) may streamline production time of the flu vaccine
  • advancing biology and personalized medicine
    • cloning genes can be done in minutes
    • expansion of the DNA alphabet
    • makes individually tailored approaches to disease prevention and health care possible
    • custom protein and biological circuit design may enable delivery of smart proteins or programmed cells that self-assemble at disease sites
  • risks
    • release of engineered organisms to the wild
    • infectious diseases may be transmitted to lab workers or their family
    • novel organisms used to treat illness may trigger unanticipated adverse effects in patients
• agricultural applications
  • potential benefits:
    • high-yield and disease-resistant plant feedstocks that can be supplemented with efficient and environmentally-friendly microorganisms to minimize water use and replace chemical fertilizers
    • nutritional benefits (ie boosting protein levels)
    • environmental biosensors that detect nutrient quality of soil or environmental degradation
    • biosurfactants could minimize pollution damage
  • potential risks:
    • uncontrolled environmental escape and disruption of ecosystems
    • new or stronger pests that are difficult to control
    • increased pesticide resistance and growth of invasic species