Synthetic Biology from End-to-End

Transcription

1 Synthetic Biology from End-to-End Responsible Research and Sociology & Morgan Centre & SYNBIOCHEM University of Manchester

2 Responsible Research and Innovation 2013 EPSRC Framework AREA : Anticipate, Reflection, Engage, Act. Anticipate describing and analysing the impacts, intended or otherwise, (e.g. economic, social, environmental) that might arise. This does not seek to predict but rather to support an exploration of possible impacts and implications that may otherwise remain uncovered and little discussed. Reflect reflecting on the purposes of, motivations for and potential implications of the research, and the associated uncertainties, areas of ignorance, assumptions, framings, questions, dilemmas and social transformations these may bring. Engage opening up such visions, impacts and questioning to broader deliberation, dialogue, engagement and debate in an inclusive way. Act using these processes to influence the direction and trajectory of the research and innovation process itself.

3 Menthol End-to-End

4 Menthol End-to-End Ethical Science Legal Social Issues

5 end Menthol End-to-End ethics outreach training anticipation end science industry publics politics economics

6 Centre interviews 30 interviews with scientists in the centre. Science and engineering colleagues sensitive to RRI issues and framed the research in RRI terms. Mint plants are currently grown in India. This might currently cause food displacement. Uses environmentally-unfriendly chemicals. Carbon footprint. More profitable.

7 Centre interviews Might close an export market in a newly industrialised economy and could cause significant job losses for vulnerable workers if SB successful. Food and the history of GM in Europe People might fear it/reject it. synbiophobiaphobia Damage relationships with industry.

8 Centre Interviews Mundane motivations: Would help refine existing and develop new tools. Menthol is in a key pathway for other products. Team had established knowledge of this pathway and of relevant enzymes. Low-hanging fruit.

9 Structural Issues: Industry and Economics

10 Industry and economics Menthol Annual production of over 30,000 metric tons. Some of the biggest synthetic menthol producers include BASF, Symrise and Takasago.

11 Industry and economics Menthol Fluctuations in mint quantity has affected price over past decade or so. Corn-based ethanol was in higher demand and farmers could make more by growing corn than mint. Increasing interest in a controllable source of menthol, i.e. a synthetic source. Companies have invested significantly in chemical synthesis perhaps making them hesitant to biological synthesis

12 The fragrance and flavour industry

13 Pharmaceuticals Menthol A rough estimate is that around 25% is used by the pharmaceutical industry.

14 Tobacco Menthol And around 20% by the tobacco industry.

15 Menthol cigarettes

16 Identity Corporate branding has sold menthol cigarettes by associating them with a cool sensation, that is refreshing, clean and in some adverts, healthy. Several brands have long tried to create the sensation by reference to natural phenomena, like rivers, oceans, ice and snow. Embedding certain ideas about class and gender, e.g. around holidays and leisure time, femininity and taste.

17 Culture and ethnicity African Americans have been the targets of menthol cigarettes advertising for decades in the USA. Focus on cool both as a feeling and cultural status.

18 Ethics African Americanization of menthol cigarettes In US, over 70% of African Americans smoke menthol compared to 30% of whites (USDHHS, 98) Addictive, physiological and toxicological properties and behavioural factors associated with menthol cigarette use are poorly understood But mounting evidence that it increases smoking risks and likelihood of uptake and addiction.

19 Political economy EU ban comes into force in May 2020 Part of an ongoing war between tobacco companies and healthcare legislation. Likely to affect market for menthol. May shape debates over menthol and synthetic biology?

20 Sociology of everyday life / public engagement

21 Menthol attitudes survey 52% 45% 29% 26% 18% 9% 4% 6% 4% 7% I strongly agree it should be done I agree it should be done I am not sure how I feel about it I disagree with it, it should not be done I strongly disagree with it, it should not be done Sustainable Farmers

22 Object elicitation pop-ups home tours interviews focus groups

23 Menthol in place

24 Relations of care

25 menthol out of place

26 Family generations Holding the menthol crystals and the Vick s Vapour Rub: Well menthol is something passed on from generation to generation. My mum used it, and I bet her mum used it, and now I am using it with my children. Old people love it! My grandparents practically smell of it constantly.

27 Generations and ageing

28 Materiality & embodiment

29 Materiality, embodiment & place Female interviewee: I ve used this [menthol shower gel]. There s definitely areas of my body I don t want this to go. Like my face it s too sensitive, it makes my eyes water. But also intimate places. It s too it s not even tingly isn t quite the right word - it s more like it doesn t feel like it should go there. Not when I m trying to clean myself I m not interested in feeling tingly!

30 RRI within everyday life

31 Ingredients holistic vs nasties Jen - I almost think of it like a holistic thing rather than as a medicine, I would think of it as a therapy yes, almost rather than as something that was going to have nasties in, which is why, well you might want to come back to that bit but that is why I was questioning about if you make menthol [through synthetic biology] is that going to have nasties because at the moment I feel like it probably doesn t? to me something that comes from a plant I feel I trust it more than something that is made in a lab [ ] if there was two products I would probably choose the one that had come from the plant.

32 Change Mike I think a plant has been used, even if not scientifically tested, but it has been tested by people using it for hundreds or years or more. Like menthol, mint, must have been used in various cultures for a long time. So there s been a long, long time for the bad things to have come out a lot more. Whereas with synthetic biology it s brand new. It s a brave new world. There s a lot more to know, more that could go wrong. So five years down the line it could be that they say Oh we thought it was exactly the same to produce it synthetically, but now we can see it is slightly different in this sense.

33

34

35 outreach science training ethics anticipation industry publics politics economics

36 Commercialisation and RRI Social scientists, NGOs and natural scientists/engineers have been discussion ethical, social, legal, economic and political issues in synthetic biology since its early days. The research is useful and can be used to anticipate, reflect, engage and act but mostly this has happened in Uni labs so far. However, we are beginning to see the commercialisation of synthetic biology products. It is as yet unclear how the RRI work being done around university-based research will translate when commercial imperatives become the focus of activity.