A third industrial revolution

Abstract

Synthetic biology is a new, rapidly developing and potentially controversial area of interdisciplinary research. It takes a rigorous engineering approach to design, model and construct new biological systems or redesign existing ones to carry out novel tasks. Researchers suggest that this emerging field could offer societal, medical and environmental benefits. The ethical and social implications are considerable. For synthetic biology research and industry to flourish in the UK, research capacity, education and training need considerable expansion.