Designing Life: The Ethics of Synthetic Biology, with Professor Drew Endy of Stanford University

As part of a major new initiative by President Michael D. Higgins, Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin will explore the ethics and future directions of synthetic biology - an emerging scientific field that could ultimately permit the design of living organisms. The President of Ireland's Ethics Initiative aims to inspire discussion and understanding of some of the biggest ethical questions we face as a society. This discussion, in collaboration with the Trinity Long Room Hub, will be the closing event of GROW YOUR OWN... Science Gallery's current exhibition on synthetic biology. It will bring together Professor Drew Endy from Stanford University, one of the world's leading scientists in the field, and Hugh Whittall from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, a group changing the way we approach ethical decisions on emerging biotechnologies, to explore the challenging issues of designing life. The discussion will be hosted by Trinity geneticist Professor Aoife McLysaght, and will address questions such as 'Who should design life?', 'How can the public steer the direction of synthetic biology research and applications?', and 'How do we make decisions on the ethics of this emerging field?". We will also be inviting the audience to get involved in the discussion, offering questions and comments at this exciting scientific juncture, as well as voting on some of the core issues and questions. __________ ABOUT THE SPEAKERS: Drew Endy, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University, California. Professor Endy co-founded the MIT Synthetic Biology working group and the Registry of Standard Biological Parts, and organised the First International Conference on Synthetic Biology. With colleagues he taught the 2003 and 2004 MIT Synthetic Biology labs that led to the organisation of iGEM, the international Genetically Engineered Machine competition. In 2005 Endy co-founded the BioBricks Foundation and in 2007 was named one of the 75 most influential people in the world by Esquire magazine. Hugh Whittall, Director of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics The Nuffield Council on Bioethics is an independent body that examines and reports on ethical issues in biology and medicine, advising policy makers and stimulating debate in bioethics.Hugh Whittall oversees all areas of the Council's work and contributes to its long-term strategy. Before taking the role of Director in February 2007, he held senior positions at the Department of Health, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, and the European Commission. Aoife McLysaght, Professor of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin Professor McLysaght leads the Molecular Evolution Lab at the Smurfit Institute of Genetics in Trinity. Her research interests lie in the area of evolutionary genetics, with a particular emphasis on the evolutionary forces that have shaped the human genome. In 2009 her research group reported the first ever discovery of completely novel human genes.