6 april 2009: Synthetic biology is currently attracting much interest, probably because some researchers are making exciting claims about the potential applications of synthetic organisms, for which the sky appears to be the limit. Whether these high expectations will ever be met remains questionable. But the fact remains that various organisations have been spurred on to examine this mater in more depth. The House of Representatives has also considered the subject and the environment minister has asked COGEM several questions. The minister has asked COGEM to report, among other topics, on the suitability of the current GMO risk analysis for applications of synthetic biology (particularly synthetic organisms), the monitoring of developments within the research field and the ethical and societal implications of synthetic biology. She has also asked COGEM how government can best facilitate public discussion about this technology.

In the report Biological machines? Anticipating developments in synthetic biology COGEM provides an answer to these questions.

Click here to download the full report.