[DIYbio] Biohacker article, British Science Association

Nice article
http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/people-science-magazine/december-2012/biohackers-rise

Biohackers on the rise

In Shoreditch, residence to London artists, coffee shops and retro
clothes, a group of amateur scientists and UCL students have met to
engineer biology. They're building a bacteria incubator out of a
fridge box, cardboard and open source electronics. Their mission? To
test the potential and limitation of biohacking – citizen science in
synthetic biology.

The students are taking part in the annual international Genetically
Engineered Machine competition (iGEM) the world's largest synthetic
biology competition. The winner will be known by the time People &
Science appears. Synthetic biology describes the movement to make
biology into a true engineering discipline, by introducing principles
from electronic engineering and computer science to the manipulation
of DNA.

Engineering biology

One of the new tools of synthetic biology includes BioBricks – small
pieces of DNA that have a specific, well understood function. These
BioBricks can be combined into a 'genetic circuit' to give bacteria
complex new functions. They are catalogued in an open online library
called the Registry of Parts.This makes synthetic biology so
accessible that even iGEM undergrads can do impressive research, such
as engineering marine bacteria to collect plastic pollution from the
ocean – this year's iGEM entry by the UCL team.

Biohackers have declared the engineering of biology their hobby, and
are trying to replicate the kind of work done by students in the iGEM
competition, often using makeshift equipment and household chemicals.
The movement is still in its infancy, especially in Europe, where they
meet stringent regulations. Still, biohacker Cathal Garvey from Dublin
has successfully applied for a licence to carry out genetic
modification in his bedroom, and he is working on tools that will
allow others to do the same.

Personalising biotech

Some biohackers are artists experimenting with new materials. Others
want to help research rare diseases which have been neglected by
companies due to their limited economical promise. Most biohackers in
London are driven purely by curiosity and the desire to democratise
knowledge.

Many researchers remain sceptical whether biohackers can make real
contributions to science, but the community compares itself to the 70s
home computer revolution in Silicon Valley. Biohackers believe that
biotech will eventually be personalised just as computers have been.

Until now, BioBricks have only been made by academic groups. Through
their collaboration, the UCL students supported the biohackers to
create a new BioBrick of their own making. However, much of the
practical knowledge required for sterile and successful experiments is
transferred to students by academic supervisors, not textbooks.
Accessing this expertise remains a problem for biohackers.

Safety and ethics

Asa Calow, co-founder of Manchester's Madlab, seeks academic feedback
before carrying out workshops to avoid creating unknown safety risks.
He participated in a meet-up organized by the FBI to investigate the
danger from biohacking. The verdict: it is unlikely that biohackers
have the potential for bioterrorism. Furthermore, European biohackers
met up in London last year to draft their own ethical code1,
emphasising safety, responsibility and transparency. These internal
considerations of ethics are often disregarded by portraits of
biohacking in the media.

Several students of the UCL team have been inspired by their
experience to set up a London synthetic biology community lab2 . They
envisage a space that can offer public genetic modification workshops
as well as bench time for artists and biohackers to carry out their
own projects in a safe environment.

Lessons from biohacking have also found their way back to academia. In
Paris, undergrad students at the Centre de Recherches
Interdisciplinaires are challenged to build their own biomedical
laboratory equipment. Instructor Tamara Milosevic believes this will
not only increase the students' understanding of the scientific
process, but also help the students develop generic skills to apply
technology.

CLOSE
Philipp Boeing
Philipp Boeing is coordinator of UCL iGEM and founder of SynBioSoc



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Brian Degger
twitter: @drbrian

http://makerspace.org.uk
http://transitlab.org
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