Li Jing, Zhao Huimiao, Zheng Lanxin, An Wenlin
College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China.
College of Humanities and Law, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China.
Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2021 Apr 30;9:598087. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.598087. eCollection 2021.
Tremendous advances in the field of synthetic biology have been witnessed in multiple areas including life sciences, industrial development, and environmental bio-remediation. However, due to the limitations of human understanding in the code of life, any possible intended or unintended uses of synthetic biology, and other unknown reasons, the development and application of this technology has raised concerns over biosafety, biosecurity, and even cyberbiosecurity that they may expose public health and the environment to unknown hazards. Over the past decades, some countries in Europe, America, and Asia have enacted laws and regulations to control the application of synthetic biology techniques in basic and applied research and this has resulted in some benefits. The outbreak of the COVID-19 caused by novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and various speculations about the origin of this virus have attracted more attention on bio-risk concerns of synthetic biology because of its potential power and uncertainty in the synthesis and engineering of living organisms. Therefore, it is crucial to scrutinize the control measures put in place to ensure appropriate use, promote the development of synthetic biology, and strengthen the governance of pathogen-related research, although the true origin of coronavirus remains hotly debated and unresolved. This article reviews the recent progress made in the field of synthetic biology and combs laws and regulations in governing bio-risk issues. We emphasize the urgent need for legislative and regulatory constraints and oversight to address the biological risks of synthetic biology.
合成生物学领域在生命科学、产业发展和环境生物修复等多个领域都取得了巨大进展。然而，由于人类对生命密码的理解存在局限性、合成生物学任何可能的有意或无意用途以及其他未知原因，这项技术的发展和应用引发了人们对生物安全、生物安保乃至网络生物安全的担忧，因为它们可能使公众健康和环境面临未知危害。在过去几十年里，欧洲、美洲和亚洲的一些国家已颁布法律法规，以控制合成生物学技术在基础研究和应用研究中的应用，并取得了一些成效。由新型冠状病毒SARS-CoV-2引发的COVID-19疫情以及关于该病毒起源的各种猜测，因其在合成和改造生物体方面的潜在力量和不确定性，引发了人们对合成生物学生物风险问题的更多关注。因此，尽管冠状病毒的真正起源仍备受争议且尚无定论，但仔细审查已实施的控制措施，以确保合理使用、促进合成生物学的发展并加强对病原体相关研究的治理至关重要。本文回顾了合成生物学领域的最新进展，并梳理了治理生物风险问题的法律法规。我们强调迫切需要立法和监管约束及监督，以应对合成生物学的生物风险。
