[DIYbio] Re: First official DNA biohacking lab in The Netherlands

That is a great news Pieter! More and more will follow...

Awesome :)

Happy biohacking!

Claudio
DIYbio Groningen

On Monday, July 13, 2015 at 7:50:55 PM UTC+2, Pieter wrote:

Finally genetic engineering is allowed in our Open Wetlab! The Ministry has officially granted us the right to program the DNA of bacteria in our lab for bioart, biodesign and biohacking.

Ever since opening the lab in Waag Society in 2012 obtaining such a license was on our wish list. However, the prospect for an unreasonable complex environmental permit procedure was holding us back. This used to be necessary for even the simplest and most harmless DNA hacking. As of March 1st the law has changed, enabling us to finally bring the ability to program bacteria into the realm of citizen science, independent arts and design.

This license, called "S-I", still comes with very strict safety regulations. For instance, only GMOs known not to pose health risks can be made, and an independent bio-safety expert will be present during the whole procedure. The good news is that now that we have the license, we are can invite everyone to hands-on workshops to both understand the controversies and possibilities of biotechnology as well as the important responsibilities underlying the creation of a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO).

The kind of questions that we would like to address with you are: What are GMOs, really? How are they made, why and by whom? Are they dangerous? How can you relate to them? Can we eat them? Or should we avoid them altogether? We will explore these questions and more during a new soon-to-be-announced series of Open Wetlab events.

For this first series, you can join us in co-creating genetically modified bacteria producing colourful pigment proteins visible to the naked eye! Step by step, we will safely guide you through the process of introducing a gene construct into E. Coli. And you can compare them to our collection of natural pigment producing strains. 

Expect to see more of this in the near future as we will organize various open evenings to create, discuss and explore what GMOs are, can be, and could soon become from an interdisciplinary, citizen-centred perspective.

The workshops will take place after our summer break, most likely early September. Join our community page www.meetup.com/Dutch-DIY-Bio to stay up to date.

Here's a news item in Dutch: http://www.nrc.nl/handelsblad/van/2015/juli/07/avondje-uit-even-de-bacterien-laten-gloeien-1514721