White House Commission: Biologists Can Engineer Custom Organisms Without Federal Regulation
Green light for synthetic biology Back in May, J. Craig Venter thrust synthetic biology into the spotlight when he announced that his institute had created the first self-replicating bacteria cell with a synthetic genome. Among those taking notice was President Barack Obama, who asked the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues - created by the President last year - to explore the myriad safety and ethics issues inherent in such discoveries. On Thursday the commission reported its conclusion: "synthetic biology is capable of significant but limited achievements posing limited risks," they said, and should be carefully watched but not regulated or barred from proceeding. Instead of government regulation, the commission advised vigilance and self-regulation by scientists as they push forth into this very new branch of biology that seeks to create new organisms, organisms that critics claim are unnatural and therefore could wreak havoc on the larger ecosystem if they...