Blog: We must do better…
Todd Kuiken, June 11, 2020 | The following reflection was part of a special GES colloquium held on June 5, 2020, discussing the new USDA regulations on GM crops. Which was held in the midst of national protests against police brutality. They are my personal reflections in support of #blacklivesmatter and the systemic racism and inequalities seen throughout our institutions....
Lessons Learned for Risk Governance of Synthetic Biology, Nanomaterials, and Other Emerging Technologies in a Post-2020 World
Khara Grieger and Todd Kuiken, Dec. 13, 2019 | On December 9th, a symposium was held at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Society for Risk Analysis, entitled “Risk Analysis of Engineered Nanomaterials: Where Have We Been, Lessons Learned, and Transfer of Knowledge to Other Emerging Technologies,” as a part of the Advanced Materials and Technologies Specialty Group....
Does the US public support using gene drives to control agricultural pests?
Mike Jones, Sep. 11, 2019 | The development of gene drives is progressing more rapidly than our understanding of public values towards these technologies. Findings from this research can inform responsible innovation in gene drive development and risk assessment....Continue reading "Does the US public support using gene drives to control agricultural pests?"
IUCN Report: Genetic frontiers for conservation – An assessment of synthetic biology and biodiversity conservation
Todd Kuiken, May 9, 2019 | Synthetic biology – altering or redesigning genes to meet human objectives – is a fast-developing field with significant potential impacts on nature conservation, according to the Genetic frontiers for conservation assessment report. So far mostly applied in agriculture and medicine, synthetic biology could have substantial knock-on effects on conservation – including modified genes spreading to non-target species and affecting broader ecosystems, but also benefits such as saving threatened species, reduced fertiliser use or diminished demand for products derived from threatened species....
Todd Kuiken Seminar: CRISPR and Risk (RIT)
CRISPR and RISK - A Critical Discussion of Gene Editing; Rochester Institute of Technology, Feb 26, 2019. Speakers: Stephen Hilgartner, Cornell University, Department of Science and Technology Studies; Todd Kuiken, Senior Research Scholar, Genetic Engineering and Society Center North Carolina State University; Patti Durr, RIT/NTID, Department of Cultural and Creative Studies...Continue reading "Todd Kuiken Seminar: CRISPR and Risk (RIT)"
Todd Kuiken Seminar: Governance of Emerging Biotechnologies in a World Without Borders
Innovative Genomics Institute, UC Berkeley, Jan 22, 2019 | Todd Kuiken Seminar: Governance of Emerging Biotechnologies in a World Without Borders. As synthetic biology, genome editing, gene drives, CRISPR, and the biotechnologies of tomorrow continue to emerge, international treaties are struggling to keep pace. While recognizing that biotechnologies are rapidly developing, with potential benefits and potential adverse impacts; how will treaties develop governance systems to both enable benefits while preventing or minimizing adverse effects? How do international treaties that address access and benefits sharing agreements based on “physical genetic material” incorporate (or not) digital sequence information? If engineered gene drives do not recognize a country’s or indigenous community’s sovereign lands; how does the international community address a situation where one country decides to move forward while another, or indigenous community, says no? And how does the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it, incorporate (or not), the tools of biotechnology? These are just some of the complicated questions international treaties have been debating over the last 10 years. Join us for a discussion as I examine these and other issues through my personal experiences inside these debates....
EU ruling on gene-edited plants and GMOs is more status quo than disruptive
Prior to the recent European Union ruling regarding gene-edited plants, opponents stoked fears that these new gene editing techniques were a loop-hole for big agricultural companies to release their untested, dangerous GMOs onto an unsuspecting...Continue reading "EU ruling on gene-edited plants and GMOs is more status quo than disruptive"
Gene Drives and Responsible Innovation
It is not often that a new technology is at once hailed as a potential solution to pandemic disease, wildlife conservation and hunger, while also being feared as a potential military and environmental “bioweapon.” Gene drives,...
Upgrading Biosafety and Biosecurity: Open Philanthropy awards $700K for DIYbio
“For the last six years, Todd and I have been exploring the best ways to ensure the healthy growth of community labs as safe and secure resources for public education and biotech innovation,” says Grushkin. “This grant will help us codify best practices in these often unconventional spaces.”...Continue reading "Upgrading Biosafety and Biosecurity: Open Philanthropy awards $700K for DIYbio"
Todd Kuiken in BioCoder: Citizen Health Innovators
They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Many would argue that their greatest necessity is health. So what happens when treatments are ineffective or unavailable? Today, in the age of crowdfunding, some people are taking matters into their own hands and developing their own treatments, including surgical techniques, gene therapies and molecular therapies. GES Senior Research Scholar Dr. Todd Kuiken, together with international science policy expert Eleonore Pauwels, of The Wilson Center, explores the risks, regulatory issues, and implications of the emerging DIY, "patient-powered" health research movement in the Spring 2017 issue of BioCoder....Continue reading "Todd Kuiken in BioCoder: Citizen Health Innovators"
Todd Kuiken publishes Slate article discussing concerns with DARPA’s SynBio Initiatives
GES Research Scholar Dr. Todd Kuiken has concerns about DARPA, who’s investments are “bending the entire field of synthetic biology towards military applications.” Will DARPA’s initiatives lead to the militarization of the natural environment?...
Todd Kuiken quoted in Atlantic article on failure of glowing plant kickstarter
Remember the Kickstarter campaign that raised half a million dollars to fund the invention of glowing houseplants? Todd Kuiken, GES research scholar and synthetic biology expert, weighs in on the recent announcement of the project’s failure...Continue reading "Todd Kuiken quoted in Atlantic article on failure of glowing plant kickstarter"