Safe and effective synthetic biology

The public outcry over the creation of “synthetic life ” within a laboratory1 is both predictable and valuable. While it has been pointed out2 that the actual results represent an advance in DNA synthesis capabilities rather than what the sensational headlines have implied, the popular press has nonetheless evoked images of scientists that were previously only seen in science fiction. The lay public has a heightened awareness of synthetic biology and is both concerned and fascinated by the implications of this technology. The public’s concerns should not be dismissed lightly. The field of synthetic biology is a consequence of numerous and inevitable advances in biological technologies. At the same time, interest and tools has arisen to apply a technology centric design-driven approach to complex biological systems3,4 to develop solutions for clinical and biotechnology challenges. In the last four decades, the length of synthetic genes that can be produced in the laboratory has increased by four orders-of magnitude- from 102 to 106 base pairs5. At our limits, we can currently synthesize the DNA needed for simple bacteria1; extrapolating these trends into the future, however, provides a prediction that the synthesis of a complex genome (such as the human genome, 109 base pairs) will be feasible within the next 30 years. However