News and Events
Scientists Call for Global Push to Advance Research in Synthetic Biology
Forecasting a Revolution in Science, the Ilulissat Statement Concludes an International Meeting of Renowned Researchers at the Inaugural Kavli Futures Symposium
June 25, 2007 Oxnard, Calif.
The complete text of the Ilulissat Statement can be found here.
With research backgrounds ranging from materials engineering to molecular biophysics, seventeen leading scientists issued a statement today announcing that, much as the discovery of DNA and creation of the
transistor revolutionized science, there is a new scientific field on
the brink of revolutionizing our approach to problems ranging from
eco-safe energy to outbreaks of malaria.
That research area is synthetic biology — the construction or
redesign of biological systems components that do not naturally exist,
by combining the engineering applications and practices of nanoscience
with molecular biology.
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| Signatories of the statement include (left to right): science writer Philip Ball, Scott Fraser, Jay Keasling, John Glass, Petra Schwille, David Bensimon, Julie Theriot, Freeman Dyson, Joe Howard, Hiroaki Kitano, Steve Chu, Dre Endy, Paul McEuen, Bob Hazen, Angela Belcher, Bob Austin, Cees Dekker |
"The early twenty-first century is a time of tremendous promise and
tremendous peril," includes the statement. "We face daunting problems
of climate change, energy, health, and water resources. Synthetic
biology offers solutions to these issues: microorganisms that convert
plant matter to fuels or that synthesize new drugs or target and
destroy rogue cells in the body."
The two-page statement calls for an international effort to advance
synthetic biology that would not only propel research, but do so while
developing protective measures against accidents and abuses of
synthetic biology.
The statement was issued following the conclusion of the first Kavli
Futures Symposium, held June 11-15 in Ilulissat, Greenland. Signed
unanimously, signatories include scientists from the California
Institute of Technology, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Cornell
University, J. Craig Venter Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, the Institute for Advanced Study, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Princeton University, Stanford University, and
University of California at Berkeley (United States); Ecole Normale
Superieure (France); Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands);
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, TU Dresden
(Germany); Weizman Institute of Science (Israel); Systems Biology
Institute, and Sony Computer Science Laboratories (Japan).
"When we gathered at the Kavli Futures Symposium, researchers —
among the best in their fields — in areas such as nanoscience, physics,
biology, materials science and engineering met to share their expertise
and brainstorm on one of the most promising yet controversial fields
facing science today," said Cees Dekker, professor of molecular
biophysics in the Kavli Institute of NanoScience at the Delft
University of Technology. "That we not only achieved a consensus, but
resolved to issue a unanimous statement on the critical importance of
this field is significant."
The statement also addresses the uncertainties of synthetic biology.
"As with any powerful technology, the promise comes with risk. We need
to develop protective measures against accidents and abuses of
synthetic biology. A system of best practices must be established to
foster positive uses of the technology and suppress negative ones. The
risks are real; but the potential benefits are truly extraordinary."
The statement's recommendations include creation of a professional
organization that will engage with the broader society to maximize the
benefits, minimize the risks, and oversee the ethics of synthetic life.
"This is a critical moment for synthetic biology," said Paul McEuen,
professor of physics, Cornell University. "The choices facing us now —
the scientific investments we make and the rules we set down to govern
the field — will impact society for decades to come."
The symposium was sponsored by The Kavli Foundation and co-hosted
and organized by The Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscience and The
Kavli Institute of Nanoscience at Delft University of Technology. "This
is the first of a series of unique symposia that focus on the trends,
challenges and opportunities for future scientific research," said
David Auston, president of the Kavli Foundation. "By emphasizing a
forward looking perspective, the Kavli Futures Symposia provide a forum
for discussion of the key issues facing future developments and
directions in specific fields, and thereby help to define and guide the
development of the research in these fields."
Said Fred Kavli, founder of The Kavli Foundation, "I am delighted at
the success of this inaugural symposium, which has not only taken a
look into the future of science, but provided the first steps toward
navigating a successful journey into an exciting and challenging new
frontier."
Statement Signatories
France
David Bensimon, Ecole Normale Superieure
Germany
Joe Howard, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
Petra Schwille, TU Dresden
Israel
Ehud Shapiro, Weizman Institute of Science
Japan
Hiroaki Kitano, Systems Biology Institute, and Sony Computer Science Laboratories
The Netherlands
Cees Dekker, Delft University of Technology
United States
Robert Austin, Princeton University
Angela Belcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Steven Chu, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Freeman Dyson, Institute for Advanced Study
Drew Endy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Scott Fraser, California Institute of Technology
John Glass, J. Craig Venter Institute
Robert Hazen, Carnegie Institution of Washington
Jay Keasling, University of California at Berkeley
Paul McEuen, Cornell University
Julie Theriot, Stanford University
For further information about the Ilulissat
Statement, or about The Kavli Futures Symposium "The merging of bio and
nano: towards cyborg cells":
Prof. Cees Dekker
Kavli Institute of NanoScience, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Phone: +31 - 15 - 278 6094
Email: c.dekker@tudelft.nl
Prof. Paul McEuen
The Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscience, Cornell University, USA
Phone: (607) 255-5193
Email: mceuen@ccmr.cornell.edu
Media Contacts
James Cohen, Director of Communications
The Kavli Foundation
(805) 278-7495
Email: cohen@kavlifoundation.org
Blaine P. Friedlander, Assistant Press Relations Director
Cornell University
(607) 254-8093
Email: bpf2@cornell.edu
Frank Nuijens, Science Information Officer
Delft University of Technology
+31 - 15 - 278 4259
Email: F.W.Nuijens@tudelft.nl
