Ethical Issues

Interference and Legality

Some may say that life and technology should not interfere with each other, and using synthetic microbes will tamper with this. Engineers at syntheticbiology.org say "As engineers we are much better at thinking and designing digital systems." They are basically saying that this is just a overall beneficial type of research and could help in the future.

Issues

Potential Risks

• ​Accidental Release: If the synthetic microbe were accidentally exposed to the outside environment, it could develop into a worldwide crisis. The microbe could transmit it's artificial genome onto another microorganism that could potentially create a super-virus, especially if the microbe was designed with genes to produce chemicals that are toxic. In order to prevent this, the containment for any microbe with foreign DNA is the number one priority for scientists.
• Testing in an Open Environment: It is extremely difficult to simulate a true environment within the confinements of the lab in order to test the safety of the microbe. Since one of the main foci for synthetic microbe research is the removal of pollutants from the Earth, it is important for the microorganism to be compatible to the environment. The only best way to do this is to test in an open area, increasing the risk for release.
• Deliberate Misuse (Biological Weapon): If this technology is utilized by the wrong people like terrorist groups, it would be a major catastrophe for the world. A bio-terrorist would be able to synthetically copy a bacteria like Ebola and promptly wipe out a country. However, the bright side to this grim reality is that this technology has yet to achieve this. It would be a number of decades until this technology could pose a real threat.
• Unpredictability: A synthetic microbe might not work the way it was intended to. Since DNA plays only a factor, albeit a major one, in the behavior of a synthetic microbe, the microbe could perform a task that could seriously harm the world or create a previously unknown consequence. This new virus could go on a rampage, infecting others, eventually infecting the human race, become resistant to all, and evolve into the dreaded super-virus.
• Gradual Transfer of Artificial Genes: When artificial microbes a released to perform a bio-remedial task in the open environment, it would gradually pass on these genes to other bacterium or viruses. This could result in the gradual transfer of these man-made genes into the gene pool and work its way into other ecological niches. This can upset the natural balance of the ecosystem and dramatically transform the biological forms and destroy the ecosystem.

• ​Efficient Production of Pharmaceuticals (drugs): A synthetic microbe can be designed to produce specific drugs or biological chemicals like artemisinin (anti-malarial drug) and taxol (anti-cancer drug) more efficiently and productively then the traditional means at no further environmental cost. As a result, the costs of drugs will dramatically drop allowing for an increase in the accessibility of these pharmaceuticals to the public.
• Absorption of Pollutants: This technology can also develop microorganisms that utilize one of the many pollutants lingering in the environment like carbon dioxide and methane as a metabolic fuel to power the every life of a microbe. This way, we are able to reduce are carbon footprint and lower the highly toxic levels of these pollutants in areas like China, where smog is a major problem. These microorganisms can also absorb the many pollutants now present in the oceans and in our drinking water.
• Production of Natural Proteins: Another benefit for a synthetic microbe is the development of a cellular system that can mass produce proteins like insulin that is able to better those with diabetes. Much like the pharmaceuticals, this will slash the cost of the product and increase the accessibility of the proteins.
• Regeneration of Clean Renewable Energy: A synthetic microbe can be developed into a factory that is capable of producing much-needed energy sources like oil or fossil fuels. This new development would be able to reduce the costs of gasoline today and maybe lower the dependence on foreign fuel sources.
• Waste Degradation: This technology can program microbes to "eat" our waste in order to clear our landfills and clean up the environment. These miniature trashcans could potentially rid of the need of landfills and benefit the environment.
• Production of Plastics: Using traditional methods, petroleum based plastics usually require large amounts of energy, money, and excrete large amounts of pollutants. With the introduction of the synthetic microbe, the microorganism would be able to readily produce an abundance of these plastics, ready to be utilized in our everyday lives.
• Medical Devices and Toxicity Detection: Innovative scientists can create a microbe that acts as a unique medical device. The microbe could act as an early warning system for the early onset of a disease or a warning system for toxins present in the body or water. That way, medical professionals are able to respond timely and appropriately to the disease and increase the chances of a possible cure for the disease. As for toxin detection, these microbes could be utilized to alert scientists for the presence of these toxins and eliminate them at their leisure. 
• Other Medical Pursuits: A synthetic cell can open up a new world of cures and prevention for the medical field. By designing a cell that is compatible to an individual, it can replace the damaged or cancerous tissues of that person and aid in the regeneration of such cells. In this way, medical professionals would be able to cure the once incurable.
• Aiding Gene Therapy: In this innovative curative procedure, researchers use viruses in order to inject and replace harmful genes in a person afflicted with a genetic disease. By replacing the bad gene, the genetic disease, theoretically, should subside. Scientist developing the synthetic microbe can not only develop a synthetic virus that contains only that new gene, they can also program the virus to only attach to specific cells or to terminate when the job is done, answering some of the major issues in that area.
• Producing Live Vaccines: Live vaccines are attenuated virulent microbes that have been weakened in order to elicit a strong immune response. Scientists, with this technology, can design a microbe with all the protein markings of the viral infection but without the genes that harms the individual or multiply. That way, even people who have weakened immune systems are able to receive these vaccines and develop a better immune system.
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