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Synthetic Biology

Brief of the Scientific Advisory Board on:

Synthetic Biology

Advances in synthetic biology are rapidly transforming a range of sectors, with increasingly global implications in the fields of health, security, environment, and human rights.

synthetic biology graphics

Publishing date: 14 January 2025

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Following an introduction to the science of synthetic biology, this brief guides readers through the latest developments in medicine, environment and manufacturing, agriculture and computing. The advancements in the technology comes with associated risks, including those related to environmental and food security, weaponization, public health issues and a range of social and ethical concerns.

Â鶹´«Ã½ plays a vital role in driving international frameworks to regulate relevant technologies. Important considerations include:

  • An international systematic risk assessment;

  • Ethical guidelines;

  • Technology investments in the Global South;

  • Inclusion of synthetic biology within AI governance.

jeremy farrar
We must make sure that synthetic biology is used for the common good¨Cthat it puts equity at its heart, that the benefits of synthetic biology are not just available to a small number of people in some countries but can benefit everybody everywhere¨Cand that, at the heart, must be a commitment to both equity and sustainable development.
Jeremy Farrar, Chief Scientist of World Health Organization (WHO)
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Additional Resources

  • by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
  • by Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
  • by Yensi Flores Bueso and Mark Tangney
  • by International Union for Conservation of Nature