NEWS: Advances in AI have caused engineering cells and organisms on a genome-wide scale with desired properties

About Synthetic Biology

• Involves redesigning organisms for useful purposes by engineering them to have new abilities.
• g. harnessing microorganisms for bioremediation to clean pollutants, modifying rice to produce beta-carotene for preventing Vitamin A deficiency, etc.

Comparison with Genome Editing:

• In synthetic biologyà Scientists typically stitch together long stretches of DNA (already found in an organism or entirely novel) and insert them into an organism's genome.
• In genome editingà scientists typically use tools to make smaller changes (delete or add small stretches of DNA) to organism's own DNA.

Challenges and Concerns Associated with Synthetic Biology

• Affordability Personalized therapies could be particularly expensive.
• Biosafetyà Potential unintended risks of releasing genetically engineered microorganisms into environment.
• Biosecurity Risksà Empower nefarious actors to develop bioweapons (e.g. by accelerating development of toxins).
• Cyber-biosecurityà Due to growing interaction between biology and automation.
• Ethical challenges: Issues regarding engineering life, equity and distribution of risk, benefits, and access, etc.