Human Practices

Refer to this page: https://2015.igem.org/Practices_Hub We need to frame our Human Practices as "We decided to look at how our project would impact ... [some area(s) here]" -Dennis

The process of genetically enhancing organisms to perform a designated task can have myriad applications in a variety of different fields (Ferry, 2012). For instance, advances in synthetic biology can lead to technologies such as bacterial photography, tumor-targeting bacteria, and biofuels (Sleight, 2010). However, in order for a genetically enhanced organism to perform its desired function reliably, the installed genes must persist through numerous generations. Since all engineered organisms will continue to evolve as they reproduce, designing an organism to maintain a function nonessential for survival for a sustained period of time can be challenging. By learning more about genetic stability, we can develop ways to increase it in the devices we design in the future. This will facilitate the development of novel technologies, which can eventually benefit any aspect of life that synthetic biology influences, such as medicine, quality of patient care, and society as a wholeHow does genetic stability move the field forward??? Reliability/Reproducibility?? Think Krithika and Natalie's plates from the spring]</b> ,

Our project was designed to test and improve the genetic stability of genetically engineered fluorescence proteins as a model for other systems such as therapeutic proteins and metabolic pathways. We believe that our work will impact the medical industry by creating DNA sequences that have the ability to maintain gene expression in probiotic bacteria without experiencing significant rates of failure mutations that make these organisms perform less predictably. The field of medicine is not the only industry that needs stable genes. [[[Can we talk about this more?? Can we think of any examples of what we would want a probiotic bacteria to do and thus why we would need it to be more genetically stable?? How frequently would you need to take the bacteria, etc...]]]

For instance, the continued depletion of nonrenewable energy sources has created a demand for novel energy sources. While synthetic biology offers one possible solution, its viability is hindered as a result of genetic instability. Since the evolutionary process continues even after an organism is genetically engineered to produce biofuel precursors, the genetic device is at risk. Producing the necessary molecules requires energy and carbon from the cells, which can diminish a cell’s fitness, breaking the genetic circuit. However, the development of a more stable genetic device could lead to a robust method of biofuel production and help alleviate the fuel crisis. [[[Can we relate this to the deploying of bacteria that produce biofuels? Where would photosynthetic bacteria or algae that create fuels be place... how long would the genetic devices need to persist for?]]]

By creating and using these genetically stable circuits, many companies can save time and money when developing synthetic products. For example, Amyris, a company specializing in synthetic biology products, spent $33,202,000 in 2014 to make their biosynthetic models (Amyris 2014). Companies such as this invest millions on genetic devises to make their products, therefore if these genetic devices are unstable then the company will lose a lot of money. Along with big companies, research labs working in this field would benefit in the same way if their devices lasted longer. Making synthetic biology more cost effective and efficient makes the expansion of using synthetic biology to help society greater. [[[What about biohackers or community lab spaces... they can't afford to work with unstable devices... they have very little equipment/money. Maybe this can help to lower the synBio monetary entry barrier??]]]

The advancements in this project can be taken to a global level, where the production of many biosynthetic devices/products can be improved dramatically, efficiently, and cost effectively. Using biological systems to create useful products is not only fast but is also less expensive when compared to conventional manufacturing. When it comes to fixing Third World problems such as access to fuels, food, water, or materials in a cost effective and timely manner, stable genetic devices within engineered microorganisms could be the answer. However, synthetic biology can only be helpful if the devices we make can perform for a long period of time. A village in a country without stable power will not have the ability to simply thaw out another tube of bacteria, should their device-containing bacetria mutate to break the device. By addressing and solving the issue of stability we can deploy synthetic biology for the betterment of society and the future of science.

South By South West

Plates decorated by participants at SXSW Create

Initially, participants were hesitant in using E. coli, as they connected it with the harmful virulent E. coli usually reported in the news as causing food poisoning and even deaths. Our lab members spent time talking with each participants to gain an understanding of current opinions on synthetic biology and GMO's, while also trying to correct common misunderstandings and highlight the benefits of the uses of this field. From these preliminary verbal surveys and interactions with the local community, we found the most common worries people have about synthetic biology is bioterrorism, creating radically new pathogens, DIY biology that can be used by anyone for harm, and toxins in GMOs that are unsafe. Our goal was to communicate the effectiveness of synthetic biology in allowing researchers to reduce costs of medicines, such as Insulin, increase effiency in manufacturing, creating biocontrolled bacteria to promote plant growth during drought stress to increase agricultural productivity, among other things. At the heart of the Texas Capitol, with the riffs and runnings of the State Government, policy advocates, and unique conference such as SXSW, we hope to partner with others in improving to the public's knowledge of synthetic biology through outreach, education, and awareness. From a personal perspective, we have encountered peers at the University that are not entirely well-versed on the benefits of this technology, but slowly iGEM at the University of Texas at Austin is making a bigger contribution in educating our peers and reaching out to the entire community. (INSERT PIC OF BOOTH)

References

• Ferry, M.S., Hasty, J., Cookson, N.A. (2012) Synthetic biology approaches to biofuel production. Biofuels 3: 9-12.
• Amyris. 2014 Annual Report, December 31st, 2014. Web. September 10th, 2015.