SBPWG:Discussion/Practices Bootcamp

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Practices Bootcamp

Description

A week-long intensive in-residence workshop in the broader societal context of developments in synthetic biology designed to foster leadership in advancing responsible practices.

Broad Goals

• Foster leadership among a community of scholars working together with other partners and stakeholders to best advance synthetic biology.
• Provide participants with an intensive, productive and fun introduction to the broader societal context in which synthetic biology is being developed which equips them with knowledge, skills, resources and connections to make well-informed choices about directing their future work.
• Provide a venue for intensive discussion on how we might strategically direct synthetic biology development to best benefit the public good.

More simply, this workshop would aim to translate prudent vigilance into practice by providing:

• Knowledge/Resources: a curriculum in the past and current state of biotechnology practice
• Community: connections with (i) peers who will become the next generation of leaders and (ii) leaders and stakeholders in synthetic biology.
• Practice: engagement in envisioning and suggesting paths for best advancing the field towards public good
• Productivity: production of deliverables which facilitate sharing of lessons and recommendations from the course

Framings

In order to guide and refine both the curriculum content and activities/output from the workshop, it may be helpful to have a central theme or framing.

Possible Framings

• Beyond the Bioreactor: Considerations in the intentional and unintentional release of genetically engineered organisms
  • Curriculum and activities would center on proposals for (researching, evaluating, establishing) best practices for testing/demonstrating the safety and efficacy of engineered organisms.

Application

The application package for the course is designed to engage participants in questions relating to the societal ramifications of their work prior to the workshop and facilitate conversations and group work during the week.

Potential Application Formats

Big Ideas for Building a Better Bio-Economy

How can synthetic biology be developed to best benefit people and the planet? Describe (in <500 words) a product, practice, policy or grand plan for, or from, synthetic biology that you believe may enable a better future. Give 3 reasons why it will succeed, and list 3 major assumptions, potential pitfalls, or uncertainties in your proposal. Lastly, briefly describe how participation in this workshop might help to explore the viability of your idea(s) and aid in your future work.

Better Broader Impacts

The NSF recently proposed changes to its merit review criteria, which includes refinement of the broader impacts statements: http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/publications/2011/06_mrtf.jsp. Write a broader impact statement for your current or proposed future research. List 3 major assumptions, potential pitfalls, or uncertainties in your claims. Lastly, briefly describe how participation in this workshop might help to craft a more accurate broader impacts statement or alter your research design.

Curriculum Components

This is a space to list topics that might comprise a useful introduction to the broader societal context of biotechnology development - it's history, current practices, and ongoing/future challenges. This list will undoubtedly grow to include far more topics than could ever be covered in a week. However, this is in itself useful as indication of the knowledge that we consider to be a valuable, if not essential, component of our education as responsible practitioners of synthetic biology that isn't being satisfactorily provided elsewhere, providing further motivation for the course.

Once we have fleshed out potential topics, we can start to refine topics into essential and non-essential categories, match with speakers, case studies and/or activities.

Topic Brainstorming

(Bio)Technology and the Public Good: Introduction and Framing

• How do we think about technology and the ‘public good’? By which criteria do/can we evaluate how technologies enhance human and environmental flourishing?
• How and why are certain technologies adopted? What are the drivers of technology?

History of Biotechnology / Synthetic Biology

• What were the critical innovations? Actors? Institutions? Programs? Investments?

Current and Future Investments in Synthetic Biology

• The economics of synthetic biology

Synthetic Biology in the US

Institutions

• Academic
• Corporate
• Governmental

Funding Agencies

• SynBERC
• DARPA
• Sloan

Synthetic Biology in an International Context

• How is SB being developed/funded in other countries? How does this differ from the US strategy?

Synthetic Biology and the Innovation Landscape

• What types of things are we making: plug & play vs new application spaces?
• Investments in applications vs. tools/technology platforms?
• Who is interested (governments, existing companies, venture)?

Synthetic Biology, Intellectual Property and Open Innovation Systems

• Current practices in IP
• Theories/proposals for new systems
• Recent developments (e.g. Myriad) & their implications

Synthetic Biology as an ‘Emerging’ Technology

• What have we learnt from other contemporary emerging technologies (nanotech etc)?

Synthetic Biology, Prudent Vigilance and Responsible Technology Development

• Interpretation and significance of the Presidential Bioethics Commission

Synthetic Biology Regulation and Oversight

• Which regulatory agencies current oversee syn bio products? What are the current/future gaps?

Synthetic Biology and Risk Governance

• What are different approaches to risk analysis?

Biosafety Challenges

Synthetic Biology & Biosecurity

Synthetic Biology as a Discipline: Education and Vocation

• How are we educating the next generation of synthetic biologists?

Synthetic Biology and Public Communication

• What do we know about the way the publics perceive biotechnology?

Open challenges: The next 5, 10, 15 years and beyond

• Gaps lists from different groups/meetings

Activities / Projects

• Propose improvements to the process by which the risks of synthetic biology research can be reviewed.
• Rewrite your broader impacts statements submitted
• Propose a new method for decreasing the barriers to innovation in syn bio
• Sandpit-style.

Case studies

Company Profiles: why are these companies/institutions betting on syn bio? what is their strategy?

• synthetic genomics
• amyris
• life technologies
• DSM
• ginkgo
• dna 2.0
• could also profile new depts / institutions in syn bio like Berkeley
• GEVO
• LS9
• Codexis
• Agilent
• Lumin

Technology Spaces:

• examine deeply one or more particular application spaces (e.g. Biofuels)

Problem/Issues

• examine different approaches to an issues like safety/risk and biological containment

Formats

In general:

• Have mix of short expert presentations, discussions and small group projects
• Lots of opportunities for activities, off-line discussions

One possible format:

• Morning seminar(s) from guest tutors
• Afternoon workshops/activities/case studies
• Pre-dinner summary
• Dinner
• After-dinner conversations

Participants & Invited Guests

Participants: ~25-35 people (>=grad student) who are (interested in) doing innovative work in various areas concerning the practice of synthetic biology:

• Technologists / Natural Scientists
• Social Scientists
• Artists, Designers, Humanities Scholars

Invited Guest Speakers/Tutors could come from areas such as:

• Industry
• Funding Agency Program Managers
• Government Officials: Policy, Regulation
• Economists
• Lawyers
• Risk Analysis Experts
• Social Scientists / STS Scholars
• Experts on Teaching the Social and Ethical Implications of Research
• Civil Society Organizations
• Ethicists
• Media, Communications, Marketing
• DIY/DIT community

For consideration:

• Representatives from Syn Bio Companies
• Nita Farahany (Stanford) : Presidential Bioethics Comission - Law & Ethics
• Steve Maurer (Berkeley) - Economics of Syn Bio
• Brent Erickson (BIO) : Corporate Investment Landscape
• Rob Carlson: Economics of Syn Bio
• Ken Oye (MIT): IP, Biosecurity, Reg of Emerging Tech
• David Rajeski (Wilson Center): Public Involvemen, Policy, Reg
• Sheila Jasannof (Harvard): History of Biotechnology in an International Context
• David Mandell (MIT) - sugg. by Reid Williams
• Legal Counsel from small biotechs like LS9 (sugg by Ryan Ritterson
• Arti Rai (Duke): policy, patent law
• Hank Greeley (Stanford)
• Mark Lemley (Stanford): Patent Law
• Michele Garfinkel (EMBO): policy
• Rick Johnson (BBF): legal
• Tom Khalil (OSTP): federal policy
• Jane Evans-Ryan (worked w/ BBF): Communications
• Ed You (FBI): Biosafety/biosecurity
• Jane Calvert (Edinburgh)

Deliverables

1. White Paper / Technology Roadmap

2. Journal Article Summarizing the Meeting Outcomes

3. Magazine/Newspaper Article or Op-Ed

4. New Research Proposal(s) around, for example, regulatory and risk science

5. Revised Broader Impacts Statements

Partners, Sponsors

Confirmed:

SynBERC

BBF

Potential:

Bay Bio

QB3

Organizers

Megan Palmer

Mike Fisher

Stephanie Galanie: Interested in helping on topics of public communication, education, IP or international context.

Feedback

Megan Palmer presented some initial ideas for the workshop at the Sept 15th SPBWG meeting. A few comments:

From Mike Fisher:

• I think that as long as participants in the boot camp come away with a certificate and a deliverable, a week or so of their time is fine for the first go around. SB is big right now, so I don't see there being a lack of interest. The public policy and biological threats workshop was a week long and it was very valuable. Likewise for my program-mates, if not just because we all connected with one another, and made connections with the speakers.
• I think a really good format would be seminars in the morning, interactive work/action in the afternoon, maybe a short summary meeting before or after dinner, and then more work/discussion over beer.

References

JCVI's publication Synthetic Genomics: Options for Governance (found here) includes recommendations for improving practitioner training in the social and ethical dimensions of research in synthetic biology.