ORI GIN AL PA PER Beyond Patchwork Precaution in the Dual-Use Governance of Synthetic Biology

Abstract The emergence of synthetic biology holds the potential of a major breakthrough in the life sciences by transforming biology into a predictive science. The dual-use characteristics of similar breakthroughs during the twentieth century have led to the application of benignly intended research in e.g. virology, bacteri-ology and aerobiology in offensive biological weapons programmes. Against this background the article raises the question whether the precautionary governance of synthetic biology can aid in preventing this techno-science witnessing the same fate? In order to address this question, this paper proceeds in four steps: it firstly introduces the emerging techno-science of synthetic biology and presents some of its potential beneficial applications. It secondly analyses contributions to the bio-ethical discourse on synthetic biology as well as precautionary reasoning and its application to life science research in general and synthetic biology more specifi-cally. The paper then identifies manifestations of a moderate precautionary principle in the emerging synthetic biology dual-use governance discourse. Using a dual-use governance matrix as heuristic device to analyse some of the proposed measures, it concludes that the identified measures can best be described as ‘‘patchwork pre-caution’ ’ and that a more systematic approach to construct a web of dual-use pre-caution for synthetic biology is needed in order to guard more effectively against the field’s future misuse for harmful applications