July 6, 2010

Project Director Rejeski Testifies before Bioethics Commission

Watch an archived video of the meeting here.

Download David Rejeski's presentation slides here.

The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues will hold its first meeting on July 8-9 in Washington, DC. The primary topic is synthetic biology.

Speakers include Craig Venter, PhD, Drew Endy, PhD, George Church, PhD, and other leaders in synthetic biology, as well as experts in ethics, policy, regulation and government. Synthetic Biology Project Director David Rejeski will speak about the ethical issues of synthetic biology. Please see agenda for full list of speakers: http://www.bioethics.gov/meetings/070810/

Following last May's announcement that scientists had created a self-replicating cell containing an entirely synthetic genome, President Obama asked the Bioethics Commission to study the implications of this technology. He asked the Commission to issue a report within six months and to recommend to him any actions it thinks the federal government should take to maximize benefits and minimize risks associated with this technology, while identifying appropriate ethical boundaries.

Read President Obama's request to the Commission here (pdf).

All Commission meetings are free and open to the public. The meeting will be live-streamed and archived on the Commission website at www.bioethics.gov. Transcripts will be posted on the website after the meeting.