Team:LMU-Munich/Human Practice/Panel Discussion

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Panel Discussion

This year’s project BaKillus combines approaches gained by Synthetic Biology with the medical issue fighting against MRSA. In July 2014 we organized the panel discussion “Does Germany need Synthetic Biology to improve the (personalized) medicine?” inviting citizens to join and learn more about this new appearing field of the modern biology. As our project BaKillus is related to the controversial issue applying engineered bacteria to cure patients in the distant future, our aim was to discuss discussing the acceptance of using the tools of Synthetic Biology in the modern medicine, in a population with a very critical opinion concerning the genetic engineering was our aim.

The event started with a short introduction about Synthetic Biology, given by Prof. Dr. Thorsten Mascher (LMU Munich, Synthetic Microbiology). He explained the characteristic features of Synthetic Biology, giving examples like the construction of a synthetic version of the third chromosome of Saccharomyces cerevisae.

In the main section, the moderator PD Dr. Bernd Giese (University of Bremen, Department of Technology Development and Design) and three invited scientists discussed the pros and cons of Synthetic Biology. At the end, the experts were open for questions from the audience.

We invited the following experts:

Prof. Dr. Ralf Wagner
University of Regensburg, Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene

Dr. rer. nat. Martin Siemann-Herzberg
University Stuttgart, Germany, Institute of Biochemical Engineering

PD Dr. Alexander Bogner
Austrian Academy of Science, Institute for Technology Assessment

Dr. med. Frank Bartram - Unfortunately he had to decline his invitation.
First Chairman of the German Environmental Health Organization (Deutscher Berufsverband der Umweltmedizin)

One aspect of the interactive discussion was the claim that the new arisen field of the Synthetic Biology is still not very known in the population: Only a small fraction of people is affected by Synthetic Biology, and most of the people have never heard about this term before. In addition there exists only a vague gradient from the Genetic Engineering to Synthetic Biology, no real dissociation between the two fields exists. In Germany the Green Genetic Engineering is regarded as a black sheep in the population and was controversial discussed in the last decades. That is not true for Synthetic Biology. One reason might be that the debate concerning the Genetic Engineering hadeergone hand to hand with rebellion against the capitalisms and the police state. This rebellious phase is now subsided, thus the Synthetic Biology is either not known in public or not debated.
One question of the audience, whether Synthetic Biology could be used in military research to produce bioweapons, was relativized by the thesis, that these kinds of weapons can be produced much easier without using the tools of the Synthetic Biology. In addition, the request of synthetizing genes is always regulated harshly to prevent the synthetis of potential harmful genes for criminal use.
To conclude, the field of the Synthetic Biology has not got further than basic research, but in order to someday have a great use, one has to keep on understanding systems, devices and parts and the complexity behind it.

To learn more about our experts (click here)

PD Dr. Bernd Giese [http://www.tecdesign.uni-bremen.de/typo3/en/staff/academic-staff/dr-bernd-giese.html]
Bernd Giese is research associate at the Department of Technological Development and Design, University of Bremen with the focus on Synthetic Biology. In his time as post-doctoral fellow at the University of Greifswald he studied the molecular mechanisms of intracellular infection with Staphylococci, which are the target of BaKillus, and discovered mechanisms and factors involved in the infection of mammalian cells with these pathogens. He is current working at the following projects: Innovation and Technology Analysis of Synthetic Biology (SynBioTA) and Attentive Technologies – Guiding principles for an age-appropriate technology design (AttenTech).

[http://www.imhr.de/en/research/research-groups/prof-dr-ralf-wagner-2]

Ralf Wagner is university professor at the Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University of Regensburg, where he is heading the Medical Microbiology and Gene Therapy Unit. He was amongst the first scientists to recognize the value of gene design and synthesis for different areas of biotechnology including vaccine development, thus consequently translating basic research tools into scalable technologies and a quickly emerging business in the field of Synthetic Biology. His current scientific focus lies on merging aspects of Synthetic Biology with state of the art vaccine development.

Dr. rer. nat. Martin Siemann-Herzberg [http://www.ibvt.uni-stuttgart.de/mitarbeiter/martin_siemann-herzberg.html]
Martin Siemann-Herzberg is deputy head of the institute of Biochemical Engineering, University Stuttgart with the speciality in Synthetic Biology and Systems Biology, emphasizing the application of science for technical purpose.

PD Dr. Alexander Bogner (Foto daneben) [http://www.oeaw.ac.at/ita/en/about-us/the-ita-team/alexander-bogner/about]

Alexander Bogner is a habilitated sociologist working in the Institute of Technology Assessment at the Austrian Academy of Science with the main emphasis on science, technic and environment, analysing Green Genetic Engineering and other upcoming technologies, like the Synthetic Biology, in the context of policy and the general public. His current project SYNENERGENE aims to pique public’s interest to the Synthetic Biology and fathom the possibilities of a responsible design of technology.