Ethical framework on risk governance of synthetic biology
Open accessAbstract
Synthetic biology is an emerging multidisciplinary field that aims to design and construct new biological systems not found in nature. Whereas synthetic biology may yield tremendous benefits, it may also pose substantial risks to human health and the environment that must be addressed. In this paper, we examined the environmental risks associated with synthetic biology, including changes to or depletion of the environment, competition with native species, horizontal gene transfer, pathogenicity or toxicity, bioterrorism, and laboratory biosecurity. We highlight three approaches for assessing environmental risks in synthetic biology: solution-focused risk assessment, Bayesian networks, and network of networks for sustainable capacity building. An ethical governance framework is proposed to facilitate innovation while minimising risks. This framework emphasises the precautionary principle and balancing stakeholder interests prior to project development and commercialisation. Overall, we underscore the importance and urgency of assessing and managing the environmental risks of synthetic biology to ensure its safe and ethical development and application.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The introduction of synthetic and semi-synthetic microorganisms into the environment prompts ethical and cultural apprehensions, necessitating a balance between benefits and unintended consequences.
“the introduction of synthetic and semi-synthetic microorganisms into the surroundings prompts ethical and cultural apprehensions, necessitating a balance between potential benefits and unintended consequences while also addressing public perception [43].”
From Harnessing bacterial consortia for effective bioremediation: targeted removal of heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and persistent pollutants (2025) · cites this paper as [43]
Cites
Foundations for engineering biology
Endy, D. (2005) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature04342 · Cited by 1,511 · see citing works
Design and synthesis of a minimal bacterial genome
Hutchison, C. A., Chuang, R.-Y., Noskov, V. N., Assad-Garcia, N., Deerinck, T. J., Ellisman, M. H., Gill, J., Kannan, K., Karas, B. J., Ma, L., et al. (2016) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.aad6253 · Cited by 1,500 · see citing works
Benner, S. A., & Sismour, A. M. (2005) · Nature Reviews Genetics · doi:10.1038/nrg1637 · Cited by 834 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Qattan, S. Y. A. (2025) · Environmental Sciences Europe · doi:10.1186/s12302-025-01103-y · Cited by 109 · see citing works
Advancements in tissue engineering for cardiovascular health: a biomedical engineering perspective
Razavi, Z.-S., Soltani, M., Mahmoudvand, G., Farokhi, S., Karimi-Rouzbahani, A., Farasati-Far, B., Tahmasebi-Ghorabi, S., Pazoki-Toroudi, H., & Afkhami, H. (2024) · Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology · doi:10.3389/fbioe.2024.1385124 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Sahu, S., Kunj, P., Kaur, A., Khatri, M., Singh, G., & Arya, S. K. (2024) · Energy Conversion and Management · doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2024.118467 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
- Authors
- Bohua, L., Yuexin, W., Yakun, O., Kunlan, Z., Huan, L., & Ruipeng, L.
- Affiliations
- Huazhong University of Science and Technology (CN)
- ORCID
- Yuexin, Wang
- Venue
- Journal of Biosafety and Biosecurity
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2023-06
- Volume
- 5
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 45-56
- ISSN
- 2588-9338 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4362658874
- Cited by
- 53
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 23 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 2
- FWCI
- 7.69
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Biosafety and Biosecurity (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Genetically Modified Organisms Research
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Risk Perception and Management
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Bioethics and Human Rights Issues
- Keywords
- synthetic biology, risk governance, environmental risk assessment, precautionary principle, horizontal gene transfer, bioterrorism, laboratory biosecurity, competition with native species, Bayesian networks, network of networks, stakeholder interests, commercialization
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
