Who Should Regulate the Business of Growing Life in a Test Tube?  | ISBN: 978-1-4128-1856-8 (hardcover) 2011 174 pp. $39.95
|
Synthetic biology, the modification of artificial genetic code, is the future of medicine. Creating organs in the lab, developing disease-fighting proteins, and creating life-changing pharmaceutical applications are all examples of this new technology. Synthetic biology can transform existing industries and spawn new ones, creating new products as well as radically reshaping existing items. Arguing for self-regulation by the scientific and business communities, Lewis D. Solomon recommends a policy framework that would guard against governmental overregulation, which could create a barrier to innovation. Although synthetic biotechnology holds considerable social and economic potential, absent a nurturing regulatory climate, it may prove difficult to translate research discoveries into commercially viable applications. Read More |
|
Review Summary from Book News
|
"Solomon (law, George Washington U. Law School) presents a policy framework for self-regulation of the promising new field of synthetic biology, arguing against government regulation. The book focuses on the work of National Medal of Science award winner J. Craig Venter. The volume begins with background chapters on scientific explanations of the origins of life, the chemical basis for life as revealed by molecular biology, and recent research on reading the genetic code and sequencing the human genome. The core of the book offers chapters on Venter's organizational structure and the funding of his nonprofit entities; the research progress in synthetic biology made by Venter's nonprofit team, Synthetic Genomics, Inc., especially in the biofuels area. A conclusion examines policy implications related to the safety of experiments, the risks of terrorism, and unfair monopolies."
--Book News
|
Lewis D. Solomon is Van Vleck Research Professor of Law at George Washington University Law School. A prolific author on legal, business, public policy, and religious topics, his books include From Athens to America: Virtue and the Formulation of Public Policy; America's Water and Wastewater Crisis: The Role of Private Enterprise; and Synthetic Biology: Science, Business, and Policy.
Professor Solomon may be reached for interviews at 301 221-6138.
|
