Do-it-yourself biology

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Do-it-yourself biology ( compound of Do It Yourself , Do it yourself and biology , also " Biohacking " analogous to " computer hacking ") is one of Cambridge (Massachusetts) outbound movement of amateur - biologists and biologists with academic Education that aims to make science and research accessible outside of universities and institutions. Further motivations are personal interest and curiosity. Through the organization " DIYbio ", the knowledge gathered about methods, issues and materials spread from the USA to other parts of the world, especially to Europe. Projects developed and carried out by DIY biologists (so-called bio hackers) include experiments such as the introduction of a fluorescent gene into a tobacco plant to make it glow in the dark, as well as the development of a genetic test for genetic predisposition to hemochromatosis falling ill, by the Bio-hacker Kay Aull.

Do-it-yourself biology is mostly carried out in (private or public) makeshift laboratories, which are often equipped with inexpensive second-hand laboratory equipment or with tools and equipment that you have built yourself or have been converted.

DIYbio

“ DIYbio ” is an organization with numerous supporters in the United States and worldwide with meetings in North America , Great Britain , France and Denmark . The aim of DIYbio is to direct social awareness to existing biotechnological practice and to give interested laypeople access to scientific questions. This is intended, among other things, to democratize science and research. The initiative works with synthetic biology concepts . The bio-hackers organize u. a. Projects for the cost-effective construction of laboratory equipment, such as the polymerase chain reaction , in the form of the OpenPCR project , or the construction of a centrifuge using a motor that can be removed from a conventional DVD drive. These bio-hackers' tests are often carried out in private rooms (e.g. kitchens, garages). Due to these circumstances, the authorities (e.g. the FBI ) feared that there might be potential for abuse in the DIY biology sector in the form of bioterrorism due to a lack of regulatory options. That is why there is a hacker ethic in the form of a code of ethics, developed by members of the organization in the USA and Europe . Especially for Germany, and based on the existing European code, Freiburg students developed a "Synthetic Biology Oath" in 2011, which is based on the Hippocratic oath in medicine.

In fact, internal discussions and project proposals often deal with risk reduction and public awareness. For example, the search for a safe model organism is a strongly represented topic.

criticism

With regard to some (self-optimization-oriented projects) that can be located in DIY biology , the lack of education about health risks is critically discussed in the German press. The phenomenon of microdosing in Silicon Valley, for example, has come under fire because of insufficient studies and risk assessment .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Hanno Charisius, Sascha Karberg, Richard Friebe: Biohacking . Hanser, Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-446-43502-5 .
  2. ↑ Wolfgang Stieler: Organic hackers organize themselves worldwide. In: Heise online . October 21, 2009 . Retrieved on April 2, 2017. Organic hackers are organizing themselves worldwide , Heise online
  3. ^ Garage biology. In: Nature. 467, 2010, p. 634, doi : 10.1038 / 467634a .
  4. ↑ Jim Lehrer: Students, Scientists Build Biological Machines (transcript) . In: News Hour , PBS, December 30, 2008. Retrieved January 11, 2009.  (offline)
  5. ^ Status report Synthetic Biology (2009) ( Memento of the original dated December 5, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 156 kB) of the German Ethics Council @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ethikrat.org
  6. ↑ Open PCR
  7. ↑ Heidi Ledford: Garage biotech: Life hackers. In: Nature. 467, 2010, pp. 650-652, doi : 10.1038 / 467650a .
  8. ↑ Phil McKenna: Rise of the garage genome hackers in New Scientist , December 30, 2008.
  9. ↑ a b Rüdiger Trojok: "Biohacking" - A gene laboratory for everyone. Accessed December 27, 2018 (German).
  10. ↑ Recommended Microbes ( Memento of the original from June 12, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , NCBE (offline)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ncbe.reading.ac.uk
  11. ↑ Drugs and Eating Disorders in Silicon Valley - The Price of Self-Optimization. Accessed December 27, 2018 (German).