European governance challenges in bio-engineering : STOA workshop report

A living cell with synthetic DNA is already a reality. Smart implants and stem cells are on their way to the clinic. Scientists also work on other cutting edge technologies, from robots that can act like humans to building supercomputers resembling the human brain. In many ways, technology and biology are increasingly intertwined. What is the impact of these developments and our vision of the ideal future of Europe? Can the EU foster innovation in these fields while at the same time managing social and ethical concerns in our society? These and other questions were addressed during the conference "Making Perfect Life", hosted by STOA on the 10th of November 2010 in the European Parliament in Brussels. To inform and stimulate further political debate in the European Parliament, the STOA "Making Perfect Life" team has now prepared a final report, highlighting the governance challenges arsing from a number of specific developments in four fields of 21st century bio-engineering: the rise of whole genome sequencing, the market introduction of neurodevices, the growing possibilities to capture psychological and physiological states of users by information technology, and the needs for standardisation in synthetic biology