Synthetic Biology: Prospects & Implications

The 21st century is widely heralded as the century of biology. Building on the fundamental understanding achieved in the second half of the last century, revolutionary advances are expected to improve many aspects of our lives, from clean energy and targeted, safer medicines to new industries. Prominent among emerging technologies is synthetic biology, which aims to apply standardised engineering techniques to biology and thereby create organisms or biological systems with novel or specialised functions to address countless needs. This book examines the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues review on the developing field of synthetic biology which researches and identifies appropriate ethical boundaries to maximise public benefits and minimise risks.