Synthetic Biology: Designing Life, Atom by Atom

1. Dept. Community Health Sciences, Program Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Atoms, Basepairs, Bits, Genes and Neurons: Ultimate designer tools Berlin Walls are crumbling: a lot of work for the WCCfor WCC Global Consultation in South Africa December 2007 Dr. Gregor Wolbring Webpage:www.bioethicsanddisability.org Biweekly column: http://www.innovationwatch.com/commentary_choiceisyours.htm NBICS Blog:http://wolbring.wordpress.com/ gwolbrin@ucalgary.ca Gregor.Wolbring@asu.edu gwolbrin@uottawa.ca

2. Synthetic Biology is A) the design and construction of new biological parts, devices, and systems, andB) the re-design of existing, natural biological systems for useful purposes. Building Genomes base by base

3. Synthetic Biology “As a step toward propagation of synthetic genomes, we completely replaced the genome of a bacterial cell with one from another species by transplanting a whole genome as naked DNA. A 381 genes entailing genome with more than 500000 base pairs was synthesized

4. Humans that photosynthesize Superefficient agriculture via altered nutrient uptake (nitrogen fixing plants, etc) New biological pathways Biologically compatible miniature cameras Reversal of Aging Disease Fighting Implantable living battery for medical device. out of electric eel cells. beneficial bacterial infections programmed to augment immunity, provide needed vitamins, etc. cells that circulate in the body (extension of immune system) custom drugs in vivo drug regulated production cybernetics self repair bodies external human processing Programmed Organisms Controlled crop maturing (count days) chemically controlled pets changing behavior programmable pets biological robots syntho-eukaryotic cell living self-repairing materials (inhabited by colony of engineered cells) make materials (e.g. table top) that change shape on command

5. Nanotechnology Molecular Manufacturing= Star Trek Food Replicator= Manufacture something from atomic molecules Nanobot/Replicator (Star Gate SG1)

6. Nanotechnology Nanoscale research and development products, ideas and processes with controlled size below 300nm some say 100nm.

7. What are Nanoscale sciences? • Neuro-engineering • Synthetic biology • Longevity/immortality research • Molecular Manufacturing • Manipulation of animals • Material science • Geo-engineering….. • Any modification of the internals of biological systems like your body • Biotechnology • Chemistry

8. NBICS Convergence on the Nanoscale Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Biotechnology and Biomedicine, including Genetic engineering; Information Technology, including advanced Computing and Communications; Cognitive Science (neuro eng.) Synthetic Biology

9. My Column Nano Drug delivery systems November 15 NanopharmaceuticalsOctober 15 NBICS and Bionics September 15 Synthetic Biology 3.0 [July 15, 2007] In Vitro Meat [May 15, 2007] Neurodiversity, Neuroenhancement, Neurodisease, and Neurobusiness [April 30, 2007] Nanomedicine [March 30, 2007] Enhancement of Animals [March 15, 2007] Nano Cancer Treatments [February 28, 2007] Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Sentient Rights, Speciesism, and Uploading the Mind [February 15, 2007] Brain Machine Interfaces [November 30, 2006] Artificial Hippocampus, the Borg Hive Mind, and Other Neurological Endeavors [November 15, 2006] NBICS Military Products January 30 Nano-forestry October 15. Nanowater 30. August Nanofood 31. July

10. The crumbling of Berlin Walls • Moving from dissecting life towards designing/building life base-pair by base-pair • Moving from nature based commodities (i.e. cooper, rubber) towards nanoformulated commodities towards atomic commodities (molecular manufacturing), designing non biological matter atom by atom • Moving from Species-typical functioning to Beyond species-typical functioning • Moving from a finite life towards an infinite life; designing Longevity/Immortality • Disembodiment of cognition • Para-Olympics become the Olympics and vice versa • Change in the meaning of health, disability and impairment, the generation of new social groups (techno poor impaired and disabled) • Moving from curative to enhancement medicine? • Moving from human rights to sentient rights?

11. WCC impacted by NEST • every aspects of its work and self understanding • Trade, (molecular manufacturing), • human security (water, climate, energy, food, …), • health and healing, justice (ability divide), • weapons, peace, • poverty reduction, social cohesion, • interpretation of faith, religious and theological concepts, • the relationship and reconciliation between different churches, denominations and faiths and in the end every being on earth.

12. Transhumanism Ableism Two social concept

13. Ableism • As used within the disabled people rights framework means • favorism of species typical normative abilities while labeling ‘sub normative’, ‘less able’ people as ‘impaired’ as in a diminished state of being with the accompanying discriminatory and other negative reactions

14. Ableism • Ableism is one of the most societal entrenched and accepted isms and one of the biggest enabler for other isms • Ableism against the traditional disabled people • Ableism against ‘traditional non-disabled people’ • Sexism • Racism/Ethnicism/ • Caste-ism • Age-ism • Ableism driven Speciesism • Ableism driven Anti-Environmentalism • Gross domestic product (GDP)-ism • Consumerism

15. A term coined by Julian Huxley in 1957 (First General Secretary of UNESCO) By now a social movement is based on the premise that the human species in its current form does not represent the end of our development but rather a comparatively early phase”. Word Transhumanist Association The intellectual and cultural movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally improving the human condition through applied reason, especially by developing and making widely available technologies to eliminate aging and to greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities” Transhumanism

16. Transhumanized Form of Ableism (human related) • sees human body as limited and defective • perceived humans • in need of constant improvement beyond species-typical boundaries • as being in a diminished state of being if they are not enhanced beyond human species typical abilities • Exhibits disabling, discriminatory and other negative reactions towards the subnormative and species typical humans

17. What is Health? • Includes social well being • Or is limited to mean medical health • Medical model (identity, bodily reality part of a person) • Medical determinants interventions • Social determinants/medical health interventions • Social determinants/ social well-being • Social model (identity, bodily reality part of a person) • Social determinants/ social well-being • Transhumanized Model (identity, bodily reality part of a person) • Transhumanized medical determinant interventions • Transhumanized social determinant interventions • Transhumanized social determinant/social well being interventions

18. Transhumanist model of health • Health in this model is the concept of having obtained • maximum (at any given time) enhancement (improvement) of • one’s abilities, functioning and body structure beyond species • typical boundaries. • All Homo sapiens bodies – no matter how conventionally • “medically healthy” – are in ill medical health in need of constant • improvement

19. Health Policy ChallengeFrom medicalization to transhumanization of medicalization? • Medicalization of Health/Healthy • Medicalization of health care • Medicalization of the Ethics approval • Transhumanization of medicalization=Enhancement beyond species-typical body structures and functioning is a Therapeutic intervention

20. Public Health Challenge:What to do with the top 10? • Top 10 Biotechnologies for Improving Health in Developing Countries the synthetic biology equivalent Daar AS, Thorsteinsdottir H, Martin DK, Smith AC, Nast S, Singer PA: Top 10 biotechnologies for improving health in developing countries. Nat Genet 2002, 32:229-232. • Top 10 nanotechnology applications for development Salamanca-Buentello et al. 2005:e97 • Top 10 Regenerative Medicine Regenerative Medicine and the Developing World Heather L. Greenwood, Peter A. Singer, Gregory P. Downey, Douglas K. Martin, Halla Thorsteinsdóttir, Abdallah S. Daar*PLoS Medicine | www.plosmedicine.org 1496 September 2006 | Volume 3 | Issue 9 | e381 • The synthetic biology equivalent can be found on a variety of webpages • Where are the top 10 social changes needed?

21. Human Security • Military • economic security • food security, • health security, • environmental security, • personal security, • community security, • political security,

22. Human Security • Cultural Identity Security, • Biological Diversity Security, • Self Identity Security, • Ability Security

23. Self Identity Security/Versus Genetic surveillance

24. Self Identity Security/Versus Genetic surveillance

25. Down syndrome, redefined • Down syndrome is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that has always been a part of the human condition. • Down syndrome is not a disease, disorder, defect or medical condition. • Down syndrome itself does not require either treatment or prevention. • Position Statement on Redefining Down Syndrome Approved November 2003 Canadian Down Syndrome Society

26. A Tool • The BIAS FREE Framework: A practical tool for identifying and eliminating social biases in health research • Building an Integrative Analytical System for Recognizing and Eliminating in-Equities. • By Mary Anne Burke and Margrit Eichler. 2006. 64 pages. ISBN 2-940286-43-4 • http://www.globalforumhealth.org/Site/002__What%20we%20do/005__Publications/010__BIAS%20FREE.php

27. Transhumanization of Theological Concepts • Transhumanization of Imago Dei and Irenaean • Transhumanization of God’s Children • Transhumanization of the Blemish Concept • Transhumanization of the language of perfection • Transhumanization of the Dignity Concept • Transhumanization of CoCreators , Creatio Continua • Transhumanization of ‘Culture of Death’

28. GOD • The Male GOD (gender/female oppression) • The White GOD (colonial oppression) • The normative able GOD (numerous applications) • The impaired GOD (on the crucifix and later) • The disabled GOD (discriminated, hunted down) • The transhumanist GOD (in relation to normative humans)

29. Thank you Hebrews 12:13-14 13"Make level paths for your feet,"[a] so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed Wolbring (2007) The triangle of new and emerging technologies, disabled people and the World Council of Churches; Able-ism: A prerequisite for transhumanism an e-book by the World Council of Churches http://www.bioethicsanddisability.org/wcc.html Science, Faith & New Technologies: Transforming Life Volume I Convergent technologies http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/jpc/pa-booklet-nano1.pdf Science, Faith & New Technologies: Transforming Life Volume II http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/jpc/pa-booklet-bio.pdfGenetics, Agriculture and Human Life