| Contents | 4 |
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| Contributors | 6 |
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| 1 Introduction | 8 |
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| 2 That Was the Synthetic Biology That Was | 12 |
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| 2.1 Introduction | 12 |
| 2.2 Coining Synthetic Biology | 14 |
| 2.3 Creating Life in the Test Tube | 15 |
| 2.4 A Technology of the Living Substance | 17 |
| 2.5 The Engineering of Experimental Evolution | 19 |
| 2.6 Synthetic Biology and Genetic Engineering | 20 |
| 2.7 Contemporary Synthetic Biology | 22 |
| References | 27 |
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| 3 An Introduction to Synthetic Biology | 29 |
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| 3.1 Introduction | 29 |
| 3.2 What Is Synthetic Biology? | 30 |
| 3.2.1 DNA Circuits | 32 |
| 3.2.2 Synthetic Metabolic Pathways | 35 |
| 3.2.3 Protocell | 38 |
| 3.2.4 Genome Minimization | 39 |
| 3.2.5 Unnatural Components | 40 |
| 3.2.6 Synthetic Microbial Consortia | 42 |
| 3.3 Further Developments | 43 |
| 3.4 Conclusions | 44 |
| References | 45 |
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| 4 Computational Design in Synthetic Biology | 55 |
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| References | 67 |
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| 5 The Ethics of Synthetic Biology: Outlining the Agenda | 70 |
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| 5.1 Introduction | 71 |
| 5.2 Three Types of Ethical Issues Associated with Synthetic Biology | 71 |
| 5.2.1 Method-related Questions: Artificial Life or Living Machines | 72 |
| 5.2.1.1 Artificial Organisms | 72 |
| 5.2.1.2 Living Machines | 73 |
| 5.2.2 Application-related Questions | 73 |
| 5.2.2.1 Release of Synthetic Organisms into the Environment for Bioremediation | 74 |
| 5.2.2.2 Synthesis of Pathogenic Viruses or Microorganisms | 74 |
| 5.2.2.3 Synthetic Biology in Mammalian Cells | 75 |
| 5.2.3 Distribution-related Questions | 75 |
| 5.2.3.1 Regulation of Intellectual Property | 75 |
| 5.2.3.2 Global Divide | 76 |
| 5.3 Addressing the Ethical Issues in Synthetic Biology | 76 |
| 5.3.1 These Ethical Issues Have Been Discussed Before | 77 |
| 5.3.2 The Role of Society in the Ethical Discussion | 78 |
| 5.3.3 The Role of Synthetic Biologists in the Ethical Discussion | 79 |
| 5.4 The Opinion of Synthetic Biologists on Ethical Issues Concerning Their Discipline | 79 |
| 5.4.1 No Specific Ethical Issues Exist at the Moment | 79 |
| 5.4.2 Ethical Issues Are Related to Safety and Security | 80 |
| 5.4.3 Ethical Issues Are Related to the Application and Distribution of Synthetic Biology | 80 |
| 5.4.4 Ethical Issues Are Created by the Public | 80 |
| 5.4.5 The Debate in Synthetic Biology Can Be Compared to the GMO Debate | 81 |
| 5.4.6 An Ethical Assessment Concomitant with the Development of Synthetic Biology Might Be Advisable | 81 |
| 5.4.7 Summary of the Interviews | 82 |
| 5.5 Conclusions | 82 |
| References | 83 |
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| 6 Do I Understand What I Can Create? | 85 |
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| 6.1 Introduction | 86 |
| 6.1.1 Biosafety vs Biosecurity | 86 |
| 6.1.2 The Different Flavors of Synthetic Biology | 87 |
| 6.2 Biosafety Issues | 89 |
| 6.2.1 Risk Assessment | 90 |
| 6.2.1.1 DNA-based Biocircuits | 90 |
| 6.2.1.2 Minimal Genome | 93 |
| 6.2.1.3 Protocells | 93 |
| 6.2.1.4 Chemical Synthetic Biology | 94 |
| 6.2.2 Biosafety Engineering | 95 |
| 6.2.2.1 DNA-based Biocircuits | 96 |
| 6.2.2.2 Minimal Genome | 97 |
| 6.2.2.3 Protocells | 98 |
| 6.2.2.4 Chemical Synthetic Biology | 98 |
| 6.2.3 Diffusion to Amateur Biologists | 99 |
| 6.2.3.1 DNA-based Biocircuits | 99 |
| 6.3 Conclusions | 100 |
| References | 101 |
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| 7 Security Issues Related to Synthetic Biology | 105 |
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| 7.1 Introduction | 106 |
| 7.2 Risks, Safety and Security: Coming to Terms with Terminology | 107 |
| 7.3 Biosecurity Awareness of Synthetic Biology Practitioners in Europe | 109 |
| 7.3.1 The Fink Committee and Its Recommendations | 109 |
| 7.3.2 The Lemon Relman Committee Report | 110 |
| 7.3.3 Draft Declaration of the Second International Meeting on Synthetic Biology | 111 |
| 7.3.4 CSIS-MIT-Venter Report on the Governance of Synthetic Genomics | 112 |
| 7.3.5 The Work of the NSABB and Its Synthetic Biology Working Group | 112 |
| 7.3.6 The Controlling Dangerous Pathogens Project at the University of Maryland | 113 |
| 7.3.7 Summary of Interview Results | 114 |
| 7.4 Biosecurity Governance Options for Synthetic Biology | 114 |
| 7.4.1 Proposals for Biosecurity Governance | 115 |
| 7.4.2 The 5P-strategy for Synthetic Biology Biosecurity Governance | 118 |
| 7.5 Summary and Conclusions | 120 |
| References | 121
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