Genetic Safeguards for Safety-by-design: So Close Yet So Far

Enrique Asin-Garcia; Amalia Kallergi; Laurens Landeweerd; Vitor A P Martins Dos Santos

doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.04.005

Genetic Safeguards for Safety-by-design: So Close Yet So Far

Trends Biotechnol. 2020 Dec;38(12):1308-1312. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.04.005. Epub 2020 May 10.

Authors

Enrique Asin-Garcia¹, Amalia Kallergi², Laurens Landeweerd², Vitor A P Martins Dos Santos³

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, 6708, WE, The Netherlands.
² Institute for Science in Society, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6500, GL, The Netherlands.
³ Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, 6708, WE, The Netherlands; LifeGlimmer GmbH, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: vitor.martinsdossantos@wur.nl.

PMID: 32402415
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.04.005

Abstract

Safety-by-design (SbD) is paramount for risk management in synthetic biology, with genetic safeguards being a key technology for its implementation. While attractive in theory, the integration of genetic safeguards into SbD strategies is rarely exercised in practice, despite technological advances. Here we question why and what might be done about it.

Keywords: biocontainment; biosafety; genetic safeguards; safety-by-design; synthetic biology.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Genetics
Risk Management*
Safety*
Synthetic Biology* / standards