Team:Virginia/Public Perception

As synthetic biology continues to advance, so do the field’s bioethical implications continue to grow. To maintain safe practices and to not lose public support, scientists must forever keep these pressing concerns in mind.

Addressing such concerns and public perception, we interviewed several leading professionals, including Dr. John Arras, U.S. Presidential Commission on Bioethics; Dr. Michael Timko, UVa Human Biology Program, Director; and Dr. Alison Criss, UVa Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology. Please view the following documentary to hear their fascinating insight regarding oversight mechanisms, biosafety concerns, open source research, and our minicell project.

To learn more about how we maintained safe laboratory practices, please see our completed iGEM safety form below:

Team Virginia Safety