The ethics of engineered living materials

Mette Ebbesen; Jan G Korvink; Monsur Islam; Andrés Díaz Lantada

doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.09.004

The ethics of engineered living materials

Trends Biotechnol. 2024 Jan;42(1):5-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.09.004. Epub 2023 Oct 4.

Authors

Mette Ebbesen¹, Jan G Korvink², Monsur Islam³, Andrés Díaz Lantada⁴

Affiliations

¹ Techno-Anthropology & Participation, Department of Planning, Aalborg University, Denmark. Electronic address: mettede@plan.aau.dk.
² Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Microstructure Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany. Electronic address: jan.korvink@kit.edu.
³ Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Microstructure Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany. Electronic address: monsurislam79@gmail.com.
⁴ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, c/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: andres.diaz@upm.es.

PMID: 37798144
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.09.004

Abstract

Engineered living materials (ELMs) combine living and non-living entities. Their associated ethical concerns must be addressed to promote safety, promote sustainability, and regulate societal impacts. This article identifies key ethical and safety issues by reflecting on fundamental ethical principles. It further discusses a future ethical roadmap for sustainable research in ELMs.

Keywords: engineered living materials; ethical principles; ethics; societal aspects.

Grants and funding

520292466/Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)