| The technology of synthetic biology refers to the technology of making new life system or life entity by artificial method.It is a new biological technology based on cloning and transgenic technology,and integrated with the methods and means of chemical synthetic gene and metabolic network design.In 2010,the world’s first synthetic biology--"Cynthia",which has attracted wide attention of people from all walks of life.As the frontier and hot spot of modern biotechnology development,synthetic biology technology has great application value,but it also has some potential risks.The risk of synthetic biology technology mainly comes from the complexity of the technical object.The living organism possesses extremely complex operating mechanism,not only can produce autonomous behavior,but also possesses the characteristics of self reproduction.All these determine that there are many uncertain risks in the development and application of synthetic biology technology.The risks can be roughly summarized into three categories: ecological risk,social risk and ethical risk.Ecological risk refers to the damage to the ecological environment after the synthetic biology released into the environment.Social risk mainly refers to the adverse effects of synthetic biology on human health.Ethical risk refers to the fact that the behavior of synthetic organisms may affect the value of life.At the same time,the technical risks of synthetic biology are characterized by three aspects: long-term,integrality and unpredictability.The benefits and risks of synthetic biology technology coexist,and the development of synthetic biology technology should be regarded with prudent attitude.In view of the risks in synthetic biotechnology,we should carry out strict risk assessment,implement the responsibilities of all parties and promulgate codes of conduct in the development and application of the technology.Firstly,we should strengthen the risk assessment of synthetic biology technology.Secondly,the specific responsibilities of scientists,the public and the government should be clarified.Finally,some codes of conduct which suitable for research and praxis should be issued. |
