How does Synthetic Biology facilitate biopiracy?
While the CBD has been discussing a Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing over the last decade, developments in synthetic biology are allowing would-be biopirates to more efficiently steal genetic resources. While biopiracy has conventionally meant the physical removal of a material from a community into private hands, synthetic biology enables digital biopiracy, where the DNA of an organism is sequenced in situ, uploaded to the Internet as information, and than transferred digitally to a DNA synthesizer so that copies can be rebuilt elsewhere. Such digital transfer of DNA ‘code’ does not even require a Material Transfer Agreement (since no material is transferred). Yet, the technology allows corporations, governments and individuals to take genetic information and use it to create new synthetic organisms, which can then be patented as inventions. While synthetic biologists talk of inventing DNA from scratch, in reality, most genetic parts developed for synthetic biology are derivativ
